Heaven or Hell
by Scarabeye3000
Summary: A compassionate Overlord of Death, and a Daemonic Angel leads Nazarick into the New World. OC. Chapter 13 up and running!
1. The Fallen Angel (rewritten)

Disclaimer: Chapter rewritten and I still don't own Overlord

 **Title: Heaven or Hell**

Chapter 1 - The New World

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Ainz Ooal Gown, formerly known as Momonga, Guildmaster and Overlord of Death stood on the viewing deck of their flying battle barge, the _'Stellarum Nex'._ His current situation seemed unreal to him for it seemed like yesterday that he was still known as the human Satoru Suzuki, yet now he stood on the precipice of the observation deck of their massive warship. It was an impressive sight indeed to be high up into the clouds looking down on these mortals. Ready to pass judgement and dispense true justice to the masses. He felt a feeling he had not had when he was still a human, this overwhelming power, to feel that you hold the fate of a million souls in your hand. To be omnipotent in their eyes.

Like a God.

Such temptations would have swayed lesser men, and indeed if he was still a human then he could have gone insane or power hungry with the might he currently possessed. But being undead does have its uses, he could not have gone bored with anything for there is always something to pursue. He does not feel the trappings of power anymore than he needs to and hard lessons that he learned in their time in the New World tempered his mind further beyond what he was capable before. Perhaps it is the lingering melancholy of his former humanity that speaks from his subconscious, perhaps it is this lingering humanity that have endeared him to these mortals, to these humans, creatures and entities he do not feel to have oppressed yet they look up to him, to lead them like a higher power.

To be their God.

He took note that the sun was particularly bright today, perhaps it was because of their height, or since they were beyond the cloud cover, but for whatever reasons, the time for contemplation is over. With an uncharacteristic sigh he turned to his right and laid his eyes on a being that also defied all logic. An angel with large inverted wings stood beside him also surveying the ground below them. Like him, he also felt melancholic for what they must do. Like him he feels that the pedestal they were elevated into seemed a trapping for power and it felt wrong in every sense. But who was he to judge? Who were they to judge? Humanity has always looked to the stars for guidance and in their eternal need for something greater looked up to the Supreme Beings as deities, powerful figures to rally themselves into, to build their civilizations into, to bind themselves to.

The two Supreme Beings eyes met and words passed between them without needing to speak it out loud.

 _'Shall I begin now?'_

 _'Yes my friend.'_

 _'Try not to destroy this world.'_

 _'Pssh. Trust me.'_

 _'Only as far as I can throw you.'_

 _'Are you sassing me Ainz-kun?'_

 _'Heh.'_

They stood on the precipice together, equal both in power and authority. Their allied Kingdoms and their representatives gathered behind them flanked only by the Guardians of Nazarick and their retainers. Their human allies need not to fear the Supreme Beings, they have sworn fealty and faithfulness, all present bent their knee to the higher powers in front of them and they now bask in the shadows of the Supreme Beings.

Emperor Jircniv Rune Farlord El Nix of the Baharuth Empire sat comfortably in a grand golden throne with cushions as he gazed in wonder at the beauty of the clouds. Never before had he set foot on this realm of the Gods and he felt honored and privileged to have been granted this boon. His Empire has prospered beyond reckon as the powers that drove progress for the territories and protectorates of the Supreme Beings was simply staggering. He did not think that the Empire could be so powerful as this, indeed when he first swore vassalage it was with great regret and sorrow, but now after witnessing their power and might he could not have been happier to do so again.

Right beside him sat, on a throne of white ivory with cushions to make her more comfortable, Crown Princess Renner Vaiself of the Re-Estize Kingdom smiled with a tranquil face. Her calculations were impeccable and with her secret alliance with Ainz Ooal Gown she had secured her seat as the Queen of all of the Re-Estize Kingdom. To top it off, her people loved her all the more for it and her wish to have her 'pet' by her side has been completed. Truly, the power of the Supreme Beings is like a tree, it simply nurtures those small kingdoms that is below it. When their domain struggled with inner strife, it is their machinations which steered them to true progress and stability and for that the citizens were truly grateful. She can only keep her face smiling sweetly for this alliance has allowed her to be granted a fulfillment of all her plans.

On her side near one of the Guardians of Nazarick sat Queen Draudillon Oriculus of the Dragon Kingdom. Her kingdom was besieged by the Beastmen Kingdom and for years her kingdom slowly crumbled to oblivion as their enemy waged a complete war of attrition against them. With beastmen besieging their cities one at a time and ravaging its outlying villages, the beastmen drove them to famine and discord. This results in a weaker military and with a weaker military means lesser security for its citizen promoting banditry and fiends to nip at the ends of their crumbling civilization. However, by some fate of the Gods, the untimely intervention by the Sorcerer Kingdom halted the progress of the enemy and saved the fortress city that was protecting her seat of power. With steady progress the undead army marched forward without rest or pause, only stopping to receive additional orders and pick up the dead of the battle. Every enemy they fell was turned into a slave, every soldier that died is an instant convert to the Black Legion of Ainz Ooal Gown. Finally, the Beastmen were pushed back towards their final bastion, yet they do not surrender, they still defy the powers that have brought their mighty race down. Now they are gathered here on this mighty battle barge of their ally and she knew victory is upon them. Her eyes was upon the master of this ship, a powerful Angel for it was all they could see of his visage. His gleaming golden armor was etched with numerous runes and carved with imagery of religious fervor and supplication. Gauntlets that were etched with names and spells of warding, its clawed hand looked brutal and powerful and seemed to emit a faint glow of magic.

As if in silent conversation, the Angel nods his head and walked towards a raised dais as he concentrated his power to cast a 10th tier spell.

From behind them red-robed Magis stepped forward, they all clutch a crystal that is shaped like a scroll. It is rectangular in shape and roughly the size of a medium-sized scroll. It glowed with yellow energy and numerous digits and letters appeared on its surface. They flanked the Angel from behind and the Undead King stepped back and sat on his golden throne atop a raised dais, higher of course than their thrones where they all sat and gave way for the Techpriest to assist the Fallen Angel.

"Half-power to engines."

A Magi, a senior fabricator by his rank tapped a few blinking lights, "Transferring half-power to engines Lord Sammael."

The battle barge noticeably lurched forward as the gathered allies and protectorates watched in anticipation of the impending destruction. They knew the barge was moving forward, but the immense size of the ship seemed to nullify the perception of such, yet the thought of something as big as this moving in the sky was simply mind-boggling. The Angel turned to the left and scanned the horizon, gathering power in his gauntlets, magic circles began manifesting around him as the Magis dutifully waited for their Lord's order.

"Activate tactical cogitators."

"Activating tactical cogitators," the same Magi replied and dialed a few lights on his tablet.

"Execute circumferential orbit, begin to turn at starboard."

"Executing my Lord, circumferential orbit stable, inertia dampeners active. Executing turn to starboard now."

The sounds of large gears turning reached their ears as the view from the battle barge slightly turned to the right, but what they were all seeing shifted to the left giving them a constant view of the bastion from afar. More and more magic circles appeared around him, even the Dragon Queen cannot comprehend the numerous magic circles nor could she read it. It was baffling and it screamed destruction through all her senses. Whatever they or himself is releasing, she could not deny the power coursing through all of them. It was powerful that her senses tingled, such power so palpable to your senses its numbing to imagine.

A deep baritone voice cuts through their anticipation as they all turned to the Undead King.

"Sammael," the Angel turned to the Overlord and nods his head, "I trust we won't be here all day?"

"Of course, I have finished casting the spell, my Angels are coming," he turned back to the front, but decided to look back to Ainz and said, "Am I right to assume that we have taken all manner of these Beastmen so as not to eradicate their species?"

"Indeed, you may proceed my friend."

As Sammael casts his spell, numerous magic circles expanded from his original one and began to pour out his magical energy. From behind them all an excited voice cried out as a deranged old man pushed himself to the front, his cries was simply embarrassing, but he seemed unconcerned of what the others think. Simply forgetting his station, Fluder Paradyne, the Archmage of the Baharuth Empire shouted in elation.

"This- this is 10th-tier- no- no, possibly beyond! Impossible!" the old man's eyes danced with insanity, "How? How can this be? This is astounding! An enormous well of MAGIC BEFORE MY EYES! NAHAHAHA!"

All around none paid attention to the ravings of the old man, for what is in front is simply too mind-blowing to dismiss. His voice warped by his power and his image distorted by the outpouring of mana. Sammael spoke with words of power that seemed to etch on their minds and suffuse them with an imaginable feeling of dread and helplessness.

"In nomine Nazarick, et Ainz Ooal Gown, et Deux Mortem." , _'In the name of Nazarick, of Ainz Ooal Gown, the God of Death.'_

"Perpetuis bellis, iram et furorem meum super omnem terram." , _'By eternal war, I unleash my wrath upon this land.'_

"Et flammeum gladium mundans" , _'And thus cleanse it with sword and flame.'_

"Cast Super-Tier Magic [ **EXTERMINATUS**!]"

From their vantage point they could see 8 points of power forming and writhing with malevolence, like a rift that seemed to rend reality open from the Immaterium. The disturbance made by the rifts engulfed both the bastion of the Beastmen and its surrounding area. Like a deep well where no light had come to pass, the rifts opened to a gaping maw as shadows can be seen dancing within. Finally, a prow of a ship similar to the battle barge 'Stellarum Nex' pierced the gloom. 8 ships of lesser size and stature seemed to float out of the abyss, like swords that came out of the darkness as they heed the call of their masters. 8 ships to equal 8 angel masters who now stood on the top of their ship's prow gathering power within them. Even smaller ships circled around them, like escorts they buzzed around the titanic cruisers manned by legions upon legions of servitors and magis. A menagerie of ships innumerable in size and stature that no human could simply match its might and power.

The Golden Armada has assembled.

Sammael nodded in satisfaction, his battle fleet were now gathered and they would begin the next phase of the attack. Never in his wildest dreams did he think that this attack would have such a flashy beginning. Back in Yggdrasil, this was a simple AOE spell back in the old game and did not even warrant such good animation. To think that in this New World, ships would actually come out and be the source of the energy beams he used to destroy guild bases on his own. Yggdrasil was broken that way, with the waning popularity and its investors cashing in and jumping ship back then, a special niche of hackers and modders were able to alter the physics of the game. Combined with the shitty developers and their ilk, none even managed to oversee the destruction he had caused in the game world. Any curious inquiry though regarding him was silenced by a mixture of guile, bribery and of course, 'aggressive negotiations'.

Dismissing that seemingly alien thought, the Fallen Angel looked on as one by one, a beam of light gathered around him and it showed the magical representation of his 8 Generals. They projected their image towards him to act as a conduit as he poured his immense power towards them and complete the mechanics of the spell he had modded before for Yggdrasil. As Sammael channeled his power through his Angel Generals a deep voice was projected by all of them as magic began to gather on their bodies and they can see as it glowed from their viewpoint.

 **"WE have arrived and it is now that we perform our charge."**

The energy they were gathering was visible now as the prow of their ships glowed with intensity that even in the crisp morning sun it put out the same light as it is. Like miniature suns that numbered up to 8, the ships also began to glow as the excess energy washed over the deck and into its sides highlighting the minute details of each and every ship of the line.

 **"In fealty to Lord Ainz our Undying Master and by the grace of Warmaster Sammael and his Crimson Skull Throne."**

The formation of the gathered ships now formed a distinct figure for all eyes to see, an 8-pointed star floated above the bastion of the Beastmen as the savages finally noticed their impending doom.

 **"We declare Exterminatus on the Kingdom of Beastmen."**

Frantic movements can be seen below as the savagery of the beastmen was now lost, replaced by a feral response when confronted by an unstoppable death. From great tents and bastions, the remaining clan leaders and lords stepped out and stared wide-eyed at their destruction glaring at them from the sky.

 **"We hereby sign the death warrant of an entire race and consign thousands of souls to oblivion."**

Cowards and deserters began to ran out of the citadel as one by one they abandon all hope, one by one the beastmen fought their carnal responses. Fight or flight, the answer was all too easy for some, but it was all for naught. Innocenct and guilty, honorable and treasonous, all choices inconsequential against such annihilation.

 **"May the power of the Supreme Beings account in all balance."**

There was a crack of thunder and a lance of pure light fired off from one of the bows of the floating cruisers, it cut through the sky unimpeded and burned all within its wake. Its energy crackled and electrified everything in its passing as it made a bee-line towards the main gate of the Beastmen's Bastion. From the battlements, beastmen pointed at the curiosity as they all saw a spear of light heading for them. With a blink of an eye it was upon them and suddenly emptiness. As the gate was struck a loud whip crack was heard as the super heated oxygen by the spell passing through the air ignited those left in its wake. The explosion shattered the gate and obliterated the wooden door, it penetrated through the bridge it guarded and finally struck the middle of the courtyard. The sound was an ear-splitting roar and the firestorm consumed both flesh and stone alike. Those unfortunate that was spared by the numbing flame lance was thrown away by the concussive blast wave shattering bone and jarring brain matter. For what its worth, those that survive the first blast merely delayed the end.

 **"Glory to Ainz Ooal Gown."**

Seven lances of energy shot out from the 7 remaining directions as the flying cruisers fired salvo after salvo of 10th-Tier spell on their enemy. Memories of a distance past seemed to surface on the 8 Angels as their master finally used them for what they were created for, to destroy and annihilate their enemies. Every lance of power they shot out carved the landscape into cinders, every passing burned soil and vegetation, every explosion shattered rocks and stone, every shot melted and obliterated flesh and bone. As the bastion crumbled to the ground and the screams and voices of the dying beastmen was silenced. Every ally of the Sorcerer Kingdom that was gathered watched in horror, that even though the Beastmen's Bastion is now destroyed, the ships continued to pound the ground with their potent spells. A crescendo of explosions and whip cracks from flying lances of light cuts through the air as the _Exterminatus_ proceeded unabated by no one.

The Dragon Queen looked terrified at the power they just witnessed, the power to change the world, to burn it and lay waste to anything that got in their way. It awed her to no end as holy fire rained down on their hated enemy and signaled the end of their civilization as a whole. She observed as Sammael retreated down from the raised dais and approached the Overlord of Death, as he walked the red-robed magis dispersed and gave him a wide berth, mindful of their respective distance to their lord. They seemed to be speaking wordlessly again, like 2 Gods in mute conversation, as it is fitting in her own mind. These two who was the pinnacle of their race should have bled each other and killed one another, yet both look each other like they were- like family. How can this be? She could not fathom an impossibility as this, but regardless of the reason, with their combined military might and sheer power, they could have anything they desire in this world. She sighed in defeat, how can she defend her people against such entities? How can she deny their annexation of their Kingdom? Would she be granted the same status as the Re-Estize and the Baharuth?

Can she even fight them? No, of course not. To even think so would be extremely folly and a wasteful of time.

She doesn't even know if she would win against one of their servants, let alone the Golden Armada itself?

Emperor Jircniv eyes were as large as dinner plates, he was silent yet the gears of machination worked in his mind. With the Sorcerer Kingdom behind him and as a protectorate, he knew that he was set for life so long as he would not anger these monsters. To do so would be utterly foolish and would only spell their death, delayed or otherwise. Looking back, it was unthinkable that such a weapon can be conceived and he thought himself foolish to attempt in matching the Undead King in wits and grandeur. But he knew defeat when it was in front of him as it steadily gnawed at his heels, there was nothing to be done anymore than just accept this monstrous being.

Princess Renner on the other hand kept her silence, even before they showed their true self she could feel their power was beyond what they showed. Their intellect was simply beyond her and their influence and charisma she could never easily beat. Her serene smile showed as she was truly content, right underneath the shadow of this big comfortable 'tree' she has found herself into.

The whip crack of the spells sailing through the air reached their ears as the veritable firestorm continued. The spell had not abated at all and was now beginning to fan out in all directions as the former location of the main bastion now resembled a crater with the blood of the earth seeping through the cracks. The once powerful river that overflowed in the rainy months is now gone and had evaporated into cooling mist. The lush trees that littered the surrounding area were burned to ashes and turned to cinder, their foliage dying at the first salvo of the Exterminatus. Even the masonry surrounding the bastion was destroyed, not even the foundation stones were spared as the spell cracked the crust open and lava forced its way out. Every stone touched by metal tools or any semblance that a mighty civilization of the Beastmen once stood here was erased from existence, the spell erased every trace of their passing. No history was preserved, no records were kept except those under the vault of the Tomb of Nazarick. The former bastion of the Beastmen now resembled a death world, a place where lava gushes forth and flows like a torrential river through a landscape of equal devastation. With the spell continuing to destroy ceaselessly, the flying battle barge turned towards the Draconic Kingdom away from the Exterminatus.

As they flew away, everyone watching seemed to relax as the sound of explosions and gun batteries were finally dampened by their distance from the event. Sammael was still conversing with Momonga as the gathered head of states were offered drinks and snacks by brown-robed servitors.

 _'Are you all right my friend?'_

Ainz turned towards Sammael and nods imperceptibly, _'I suppose I should feel remorseful by what happened and the slaughter that we have visited them, but I feel nothing my friend.'_

 _'To think about such things after doing it does not mean you are bad in a way, on the contrary, it only justifies you being different in your outlook of life in general.'_

 _'I suppose, but annihilating a race seemed oddly similar to a certain event before.'_

Sammael looked scandalized _, 'You can't possibly be thinking of the events of 1941 to 1945? That was a long time ago my friend, we are all beyond that.'_

 _'True, but that man was convinced that utter extermination of a race will ensure the endurance of their race as a whole and the sole source of its troubles,'_ Ainz rubs a bony hand on his chin _, 'This feels truly the same. I am mindful on what will reflect upon our image? How I wonder at their view of us.'_

 _'Fear not Ainz-kun we are not as foolish as that 'bohemian corporal' that ruled the Third Reich,'_ Sammael turned to their allies and opened his arms, "Queen Draudillon of the Draconic Kingdom, as per your request for our intervention to the war with the Beastmen and in maintaining the stability of your realm. Do we have your word that our part of the agreement has been completed? Our oath to brought the Beastmen to heel have been done? To save your Kingdom and preserve the line of your ancestors before you fulfilled?"

Without hesitation the Queen nods her head, "Indeed, your country has kept its part of the bargain and within the words you have given us and laid before us witnessed both by my advisers and their peers."

"Then may we present now our request to you and your country Queen Draudillon?"

"Yes, you may."

Sammael bowed respectfully, "Thank you for your graciousness your Majesty, the Sorcerer King, Ainz Ooal Gown shall present to you the terms of our accord. Please follow us to the next room-"

The heads of state that were present stood up one by one from their chairs, following the servitors who have guided them along the way Ainz and Sammael brought up the rear as their conversation reached its end.

"I suppose you are right Sammael-kun."

"Indeed, I am," a ghost of a smile appeared on the Fallen Angel's lips, "Do you mind entertaining our guest? I have yet to prepare our forces for the country I recently found."

"Hoh? And where is this country you spoke of? Beyond the Holy Kingdom I think?"

The Fallen gave a small laugh, "It is on the other side, I have reached the coastline of this continent and have beheld an endless expanse of sea. The country that lines its borders with the sea is a mixture of demi-humans and humans, completely unalike these bigoted idiots from the Empire and the Kingdom."

"Then I shall look forward to your presentation later," Ainz gestured with a wave of his hand, "I shall see you later my friend."

"As you wish Overlord."

The doors to the conference room closed as Ainz stepped over the threshold and addressed the royalty and the people within. He will need to step into his role again as a magnanimous ruler and present the terms of the accord with the Draconic Kingdom. Sammael, the Fallen Angel, stopped just in front of the door as it sealed in front of him, he turned his back to the closed room and began walking towards the bridge of the battle barge. As soon as he walked away, 2 sentries stood in attention at the door, a guard to bar any who might disturb the proceedings inside, a symbolic rather than a practical gesture as the battle barge is already secured beyond all doubt and any manner of guarding seemed trivial at best. But it is expected of them so they give in to it, though it is only an approximation of security in their eyes.

Warmaster Sammael contemplated on his lone walk towards the bridge, the words of his friend wiggled its way into his mind and he could not under any circumstances forget about it. Have they truly fell to the sins of the past? The unmistakable poison of hubris? Were they abusing the power that was granted to them? The Massacre of the Katze Plains, the Sundering of the Theocracy, and now the Exterminatus of the Beastmen's Kingdom. Regrettably, many of the survivors shall fault their hand that they played in these events, but to further fear them is redundant. True, they are powerful beyond reckoning in the eyes of the citizens of the New World, but they are not infallible. Hell, some times he can't even choose what to eat in the morning or even brush his teeth. So why does it feel like he is not even human anymore? And the more that they commit such wide-spread destruction and death, the more he felt his humanity slipping away.

Maybe it is his nature as an Angel for he felt not a single speck of remorse, instead an overwhelming sense of justice gripped his being as the satisfaction of another thorn on their side being removed washed itself over him.

He finally reached the bridge and the heavy vaulted doors opened with the sound of large gears turning, as he stepped over the threshold numerous thralls, Magis and servitors stood up and bowed in respect. He made his way towards the center of the bridge where a curious looking throne waited for him. It was the Crimson Skull Throne, a throne made from the weapons and armor of those Guildmasters he had defeated. The physical representation of his enemies heads with their headgear were shown as a prize for the deeds he have achieved during the time in Yggdrasil. He sat down and the Magis and their servitors sat back down and hunched over their stations, ever ready to acquiesce to his demands.

Like a malevolent Lord he sat without a word, brooding in silence at the power that he held in his fingers.

"How did it come to this...?"

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 _Flashback - few years prior_

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When Yggdrasil was launched it boasted one of the most pioneering technologies in the world. It was one of the games that boasted the DIVE system, the first one to truly integrate virtual reality and make customization as part of the game play. A DMMORPG that was truly a work of art, it allowed a player to upload a certain template and convert it to be usable in the game world. With such a technological marvel and novel ideas that impressed legions of nerds and geeks keen on customizing everything, the servers always brimmed with users. Their competition were usually hack and slash MMORPG that did not emphasized much on customization as a whole rather the graphics and as such, but Yggdrasil was different in that regard. It gave you what you want, how you want, it gave you a choice to be whatever you want to be. If you wish the complexities of humanity, then you can choose the standard template of humanity, this does not include the wide range of appearances that you can actually get for humans. From color of the skin, to the textured appearance, hairdo, eyes, accessories, even tattoos and markings.

Everything seemed permitted and allowed.

This made the name YGGDRASIL a global name, a freedom of choice not given to all existing games in their time. It was as if they thrusts you into a real magical world and you will live as it is in that world. A whole load of humanity to converge and play, as people from all walks of life were attracted to live out their fantasies even for a short period of time.

Unfortunately, the sheer number of players ensured that playing would be extremely vicious. The lesser dregs of human society always rears its head as the pinnacle of something good seemed to crest the proverbial hill.

Server maintenance was a really big issue.

It was widely known that a group of players actually rioted outside the headquarters of the developers when an extension of the server maintenance suddenly came upon them. Not like it was the developers fault, but bomb threats and rioting pushed the employees to the wall. Its number 1 factor of being the best game turned out to be its number 1 downfall. Due to the immense size of items or objects that need maintenance, the developers started making shortcuts in their work. Glitches and game imbalances appeared and this began the inevitable downward spiral of the game. Like with most conflagrations, the glitches were the embers that started the proverbial flame. Budget cuts due to dwindling users and players, mass hacking and character resets, and the seeming ineptness of the game master to actually resolve anything led to more disgruntled players and more people quitting.

The shitty devs was just one of the reason that the players had dwindled, many experienced harsh racial discrimination in-game.

One would not think that this is only a game and platforms such as these have shunned every dividing wall that defines humanity. But racism and sectarian division ran prevalent like a plague on the advanced servers. Non-PK servers were dominated by heteromorphic races as the PK servers were mostly dominated by human players. With the ratio of the humans against heteromorph is 10:1, a large number of those players who could not cope with the numerous deaths they suffered shifted race or quit the game altogether. Additionally, the clamor for non-PK servers were unheeded by the developers who decided to even lessen the non-PK ones to better simulate the real world and actually arguing that people had to endure that everyday. Those people that chose heteromorphs for their avatars were relentlessly pursued and hunted, killed and ganged up on for the reason of not being human.

This injustice stayed on Sammael's mind as he created his own avatar.

An Angel, a dispenser of justice and the symbol of the light. True, an angel as an avatar is a powerful figure. Most human players aligned with the light would not willingly attack an Angel, additionally, as the primarily and well-known heteromorphic creature that can support any living being, the demand for his services is quite high. He was not hated, just tolerated since he resembled humans in general. Being an angel also made him friends to numerous high leveled humans who took him to quests and generally made his life bearable. That being said, being pestered left and right for heavenly blessings and the numerous request for resurrection does dampen one's day. But he slogged right through and became a fairly known and powerful player himself that he was confident that he won't be attacked by just anyone by being an Angel or non-human. Just another perk of being an Angel with his AOE passive auras and blessings, not including his innate abilities to resurrect anyone without penalty regardless of foe or friendly.

But one thing rankled his mind more than the noobs asking for buff every morning that he logged-in.

It was the human 'hunter-packs' that he secretly despised, these people formed parties at any time of the day and would go out to the PK servers and hunt heteromorph characters exclusively. It does not matter if you are aggro or not, once you are not human enough, then they would slay you without a second thought. He usually show his contempt against such character by joking with them, sending verbal jabs that should have double-meanings, but either they are extremely thick-headed or simply dismissive of their actions. Regardless, with the status quo against his particular race maintained he slowly and surely increased his power and level, to the point that he was surprised that his name came up on the Top 10 support players who is not even a human. His equipment were not to be scoffed at, for he acquired such treasures with careful planning and excellent raiding skills. His abilities to increase the power of his current party and his healing capability easily made him a commodity that is essential for any dungeon or raid boss attempts.

But then again, the question begs to be answered again.

Why was he tolerating such acts by humans against their fellow humans, although looking absolutely differently being heteromorph and all. Still, shouldn't justice be dispensed swiftly and without mercy, for justice delayed is justice also denied?

This cannot stand.

He made a decision one day to end the cycle and break the status quo he and his race shared with their human counterparts. He was leaned against one of the entrances to one of the earliest cities where you can spawn and a pack of human warriors approached him. With much cajoling he finally 'blessed' them with his skills and sent them on their way. The aforementioned city was built on the center of Midgard, it was the starting point for all races as such had a lot of low levels lingering nearby. This takes into account members of the heteromorph races who have recently spawned to being. But apathy won him over and he just stalked out of the city, completely ignoring the 'hunter-packs' that he saw was assembling outside of the city.

After a few minutes of wandering around the area, what were the chances that he came upon the same team that he buffed as they hunted heteromorph player. He could see that a mid-level undead and its accompanying brain-eater were both on the ground. Their HP were dangerously low and a few more hits would surely reduce them to '0', which would mean EXP loss and level loss. He shook his head as the exact situation to change sides presented itself upon him, he was about to walk away when he heard the deep baritone voice of this undead. He was actively negotiating with the leader of the hunter group, begging not to be killed, or at least ample compensation for their trouble of killing them. Sammael snorted in disgust, he knew this group well enough for him to know that the leader would not only take the bribe of compensation, but also PK them for the obvious pleasure of just killing them.

Shadowing their movements as they moved through the plains of Midgard, he carefully kept his distance and hid his presence from them.

After a good long while the human party of 15 accosted and cornered a mid-level Lich and brain-eater. Waited patiently as they surrounded them like prey and pounced on them after casting their most powerful spell for mid-level characters. Unfortunately for them though, he had been watching and casting his own spells to bind his enemies down. Up to this day none of the attackers knew how they died, but they knew who dared raised their hands against them. A name that was stained red with the blood of humanity. As they all teleported away back to their respawning point, Sammael turned to the 2 heteromorphic beings who were also healing themselves. He walked over to them, his aura spilling out of his avatar.

"Hello!" his avatar did a waving gesture and an emoticon for :D appeared above his head.

"Thank you for saving us! :D" the brain eater typed back, bowing with a flourish, "It is good to know that this game isn't entirely plagued by bigoted humans."

"Indeed it is," the Lich opened a channel towards him and he accepted. As they formed a party, a teleportation circle appeared before them and Sammael looked warily at the new comer. A shimmering white knight stepped out of the portal, as the figure stepped out it looked at him and banged its shield in greeting.

"I see everything is under control."

The Lich approached and nods his head, "Indeed it is. We have found someone that had helped us a great deal."

"My I have your name, benevolent stranger?"

The white knight seemed peculiar at first and had an odd quirk about him, but he seemed to care much about these heteromorph players for him to teleport towards them.

"I am Sammael and as you can see-" he flapped his former white wings affably, it fluttered obsidian now as evident of his crashing purity and holiness, "-I am now a Fallen Angel."

"Well met Fallen Angel, I am Touch Me-"

"THE WORLD CHAMPION!?" he was stunned, "Touch Me? T-the World Champion?"

"Y-yes," the white armored knight replied sheepishly, "I suppose that is one of my titles."

"Famous much aren't you?" the Brain-Eater seemed to simper at the World Champion, "By the way, we need to still vote on the issue raised by Ulbert-san. He had learned of something that concerns us and our guild greatly."

"Ah, I have heard of it," Touch Me said with a hint of amusement, "Word from the grapevine is that the Trinity or at least one of them would partake in that ' _issue_ '. Some kind of alliance that will not be good for us."

"That is quite the serious news," the Lich interjected, his concern quite evident, "We should get back to Nazarick and convene all members."

"Agreed," Touch Me turned to Sammael and pointed to him, "But what should we do with our new friend."

Sammael stood behind their avatars watching, waiting as they conversed with each other, "Oh! Do not worry about me, I can certainly handle myself."

"No, Sammael-san, it would be of a great disservice if we would dismiss you so, we can perhaps agree on a much permanent solution."

The World Champion gave a confused looked, "What do you mean Tabula-san?"

"Sammael-san, let me ask you a question," the brain-eater asked with a flourish, "Do you have an occupation outside of Yggdrasil?"

"W-well, yes. I'm currently active in the JSDF-"

"We thank you for your service then, truly JUSTICE IS LIFE!" Touch Me exclaimed as the 2 other members shook their heads in embarrassment, "A soldier that upholds the peace, there can be no nobler way to show one's nationalism as public service."

"Then it is established," Momonga shrugged his shoulders, "We only need to bring forth his name to the table and he should be confirmed within the day."

Sammael's head turned in confusion, "What do you mean?"

The Elder Lich nods his head and said, "Sammael-kun, if you would be so kind to consider joining our guild. Ainz Ooal Gown."

"B-but, why?" he could not even think about it, that guild was well-known for being all heteromorph characters. It is also known that they have not recruited beyond the 41 early members of the guild. "Aren't you all supposed to be only 41? I mean, you are famous for it!"

"Indeed, our guild has been known to be as such however, in your case I believe we can make an exemption."

Touch Me nods his head, "The virtue you have shown today proves your strength of character and being quite honorable."

"We all look heteromorphs in the outside, but inside of us, each and every member of our guild is human," Tabula said, "You looked past that and also considering the deeds you have currently shown us, which gives a view of your quality as a person."

"What we only need now is the complete approval or at least half of the ruling council?"

Touch Me puts a hand on the now Fallen Angel's shoulders, "Worry not my friend, I am confident that you would be welcomed to us."

What followed after that chance meeting was the best years of Sammael's online life in Yggdrasil. Within the day of the meeting, the founding members of Ainz Ooal Gown confirmed his membership in lieu of those that have quit on the guild's roster. Additionally, his karma alignment shifted drastically from Lawful Good to Lawful Evil. Perfectly balanced karma, neither aligned to good nor evil. Embracing the shift in his character's alignment, he found that some of his high-tier abilities and skills were lost. Though there were some powerful ones that replaced it, mostly passive and buff magic to a certain degree, but very useful nonetheless. He was now part of the 41 members of Ainz Ooal Gown, a guild that prided itself in being all heteromorph creatures, establishing supremacy and power by increasing their level and conquering one of the newest and hardest dungeons in all of Yggdrasil. By fighting with other guilds for the supremacy of said territory, they won the rights to the dungeon to be established as their guild base and none so far have managed to unseat them.

A dungeon, the only fitting place short of a demon king's castle that instill fear and dread to all those that dare step foot within its thresholds.

Though all the members have inhuman characters or avatars, they're actually pretty nice and decent people. Sammael found out that the guild members were all non-aggressive due to them being rational and functioning members of society. It isn't past them to discuss any misunderstandings in a civil manner. But their power could not be denied, boasting numerous World Items sought by all players of the game, each weapon could change the status of anything or basically, breaking the game in two if it must. He found out that Ainz Ooal Gown hoarded such weapons to ensure that none may be used against them, and indeed possessing such items already dissuaded some would be attackers from their objective.

Some, not all.

And it is during this time, when Ainz Ooal Gown possessed most of the World Items that is known to all of Yggdrasil that a force of 1,500 players and their supplementary NPCs, mercenaries, and paid guilds have agreed to attack the Great Tomb of Nazarick.

A trying time indeed for the whole guild, it seemed a large war host poured out of every corner of Yggdrasil. A total of 150 full 10-man parties from 10 of the highest ranking guilds and 13 of the top players in Yggdrasil laid siege to Nazarick. The event caught the attention of the GM's and decided to record the whole event. After almost a day of besieging the whole dungeon, the attackers found themselves surrounded and pressed on all sides as they reached the 8th floor of the Great Tomb. The counter-attack was swift and brutal, even the GM's were dumbfounded at the strategy employed that day by the members of Ainz Ooal Gown, but they were all legal and no GM's found any inconsistencies with the programming. Additionally, no World Item was used that day, a true miracle since the stakes could not have been more higher. And the members of Ainz Ooal Gown, all 41 were not active during that time, it was a testament to their skill and power how they managed to turn back the invaders and slay them to the last.

Earning a boon of items, gold and dropped items. The items dropped by their adversaries numbered in the hundreds, almost in the thousands of a variety of mid to high-level items. With the siege broken after more than a day of fighting, the ruling members of the guild convened that a similar disaster must be averted. Options were weighed and debated, the side of Touch Me called for an alliance with other like minded guilds, a good candidate are those guilds that have not taken part in the siege. He fully endorsed the opening of doors of the guild to an alliance that the members can call upon when the needs are dire once more.

A voice of dissent opposed the suggestion, predictably it was Ulbert Alaine Odle who was against an alliance.

"It is foolish to think even any guild could match the might of Ainz Ooal Gown."

"It is not the might of Ainz Ooal Gown that prevailed, but the combined old guarders of our guild base and our mercenary forces. Additionally, some of our safeguards were implemented at a potential risk to our NPCs," Touch Me stood in front of the large round table where he usually sat, across him also stood on the other side the demon Ulbert, "What if _'General Luck'_ does not find us in the right moment? Or on the next time? Or on the following next and so forth? We are finished that is what."

"We can strike first against our enemies, trace those that have attacked our base and annihilate their guild-"

"-which would undoubtedly set our enemies upon us again, they would see the pattern in our movements and we would be overwhelmed by such greater numbers than before. Our own dwindling numbers, including those that have been logging-in have lessened steadily-"

"This does not justify an Alliance with other guilds, they would indubitably aim for the World Items-"

"-this fiasco started because of those World Items!" Touch Me banged at the table, "You would have us suffer through to another siege like that _'World Disaster'?_ To subject us further to such stressful situations is inconceivable! We have been awake for more than a day and has affected my life outside of Yggdrasil-"

"-you forget _'World Champion'_ that it is those _'items'_ is what have kept us safe and prevented the usage of the same World Items against us!" Ulbert banged his hooves at the table in reply, "For now at least we are safe, but how about another siege like that? Can we break the back of the offensive with our dwindling numbers? This is not a solution to the problem I tell you, this is a stop-gap measure that would relegate us to complacency and stagnation."

"What if more of our friends decided to call it quits!?"

Momonga sighed at this, "On that note I have ill news, our friend _Whitebrim_ has expressed his willingness to quit. Unfortunately for us, his manga has picked up readership and he could not play and write at the same time with the same frequency as before. Making a manga is understandably a job fraught with deadlines and delays, as such he has surrendered his weapons and armaments at the Treasury Room. Additionally, his log-in name and password have all been given to me, and thus his name will be etched in the annals of the Librarium and his likeness be molded in the catacombs."

A moment of silence permeated in the halls of 41 guild members as _Whitebrim's_ surrender of the eternal war came into light.

"Our hearts go out to our guildmate," Ulbert tipped his hat and caressed the large flower ornament on his chest, "Let us resume then, how can we even prevent such an event to happen again?"

"We can break the game, create a force that will raid our enemies and bring them low from there."

"Haven't we already discussed that option is not plausible?"

"-let me rephrase then, an independent force will raid our enemies and bring them low."

A lone voice came from the other side as all eyes turned to the Fallen Angel who had raised his voice, "Come again Sammael-kun?"

"I propose that we create a special sky barge for a crusade, call it a crusade if you must, that will literally break the game."

The 2 founding members, Ulbert and Touch Me sat down slowly as the Fallen stood up, "How do you propose you do that Sammael-kun?"

"My friends, you have fought with me during the famed Siege of Nazarick, it was designed to break us as a guild and dislodge our hold on this hallowed halls, but what if we can do the same for them?" the Fallen Angel gestured with his hand and activated a hologram, it showed numerous data in the middle of the round table and it showed the named World-Class items.

"As you can see, these are all the known World Items. All of them are accounted for, or at least those that control them. 7 of the most powerful or 'game-breakers' are within our walls."

"That's comforting."

"Yes, thank you Peroroncino-san," Sammael sent a smiley towards him, "But how about the others? Other lesser World Items are unaccounted for or have not been discovered yet. What are we to do? Additionally, only 2 guilds that have World Items have participated in the siege and it is imperative that we strike back against them. Other guilds that have confirmed World Items did not participate for fear of reprisal, insufficient manpower, or simply too uninterested to the battle, which we can never be too sure. Regardless of the reasons, we, rather I cannot allow this thing to pass again."

"What if others will quit? What if it does not stop with _Whitebrim_ alone? We all have lives outside of here, we can be compelled to quit anytime against our wishes."

"I only ask that we construct a ship of my design that will break any guild that it will encounter," Sammael looked down at the table and banged on it, "Our guild, which have welcomed me with open arms must endure. It is too late to seek out alliances and true friends outside of our own circles, forgive me Touch Me-san if this is against whatever you say, but I only speak the truth of what I see."

"None taken Sammael-kun," the white knight banged his breastplate in agreement, "Truth and honesty are your traits known to us. Please do continue."

The Fallen stood up to his full height and declared, "By building the ship I require, I will raze every guild to the ground to get all the World Items, by destroying the guilds I can destroy the factions and unity of people thereby preventing another attack of that magnitude from happening again. I will shatter alliances, break treaties, and be a warmonger among the many players in Yggdrasil."

"Justice must be passed to the guilty, and justice must be done to those who have tried to tear down our walls."

Tabula Smaragdina shook his head, his tentacles swaying together with it, "This is something unheard of, such an undertaking cannot be prevailed upon. This endeavor will require massive amounts of information, material, even some details against the myriad of our enemies. Details that we are unable to determine, a folly if you ask me since we don't have much of it."

"I agree with Tabula-san, we are in danger of being bled dry," Ulbert turned to Momonga and asked, "Guild Master, may we know the status of our Treasury?"

"Currently, the gold we have earned from the Siege of Nazarick totaled a staggering amount of just under 3 billion gold," Ainz checked with his Guild Master interface and also the recent additions to the Treasury room, "We have also obtained numerous items, weapons and armor parts that range from mid to high level quality that killed players dropped."

"So, our riches are considerable," the brain eater nods his head in agreement, "This is excellent news, we might just make it so."

Ulbert stood up and gestured towards the Fallen, "What would you initially require Sammael?"

"1 warship, a design that I have quite debated on with my peers in the real world," he projected a ship diagram on the viewer and the online members looked on in curiousity, "As you can see, as part of the lore of this ship, which is a strict requirement for the customization features to be approved. This ship is-"

"-simply massive," Peroroncino interjected, "And very familiar... where have I seen the double headed Aquila before?"

"Is it familiar? We could be banned due to copyright infringement-"

"-no, no I saw this once in a latin book."

"A book?"

"Yes," the avian player nods his head, "I believed it was named 'Codex' or something."

Ulbert stroked his goat beard and bleated, "I see," he also perused the specifications of the ship and gears in his mind turned quickly, "I can definitely say though that your lore is simply mind-blowing, it is as if, you planned this all along."

"Indeed, as mentioned I only require 1 warship initially, after every guild base that I destroy then the earnings for that raid will supplement the flagship that we would be building. With this I can ensure that we would remain strong and powerful and no guild would ever destroy nor conquer our home."

Silence as the members all soaked it in, Ulbert feeling an impasse would rear its head once more stood up and said, "I say let us vote and be done with it. Those in favor?"

Surprisingly even Touch Me's hand came up as well as Ulbert, Peroroncino, BukubukuChagama and Tabula all agreed. Ainz took the tally and found that aside from him, who abstained from voting due to being a Guild Master, Punitto Moe, LuciFeR, HeroHero and Takemikazuchi all were opposed it. With that the decision has been voted upon and decided, with the majority voting that the requested ship be constructed with all haste. It is in that instance that the Golden Armada was born.

For 3 months the preparation for the construction and the assembly of the ship took place. Having a power supply from numerous mythical beasts, it was a small wonder that whenever the full might of Ainz Ooal Gown marched against one, then it was a spectacle truly worth seeing. The time it took to make the ship was not without complication as more members decided to call it quits, BukuBukuChagama was offered an _'galge'_ game project and an anime movie that it demanded more and more of her time. Touch Me, one of those that agreed to such an undertaking also quit due to him spending more time with his wife and child. After the sky barge was finished, Sammael took swift command of it and with Momonga's blessing quits the guild and quickly becomes the weapon that heralded the destruction of every guild base that carried a World Class Item.

For 6 months, as the members of Ainz Ooal Gown quit one after another, Momonga watched from afar as their Fallen Angel wrecked havoc in Yggdrasil.

He knew, rather heard of the first casualty of their audacious plan. The Pirate Lords, a very large guild that dwarfed their own's membership by almost a mile. So much of its members were dressed like pirates of all manner, from 18th century ones, to the modern and even the space-faring pirates. Their fleet, which consisted of a large Man O' War class ship was torn asunder by the ship commanded by Sammael. With the loss of their World Item, he also destroyed their guild weapon, thus destroying the symbol and the guild itself. With the destruction of that guild, Momonga learned that Sammael made another ship of lesser size and power. He had designed his own NPC that would take command of the ship and swiftly attacked a smaller guild that was rumored to be carrying a World Item. Sammael's training in the real-world military gave him the tactical acumen needed for the systematic attacks. It looked random at first, like an extremely powerful entity going berserk and straining at the seams. Guild after guild fell, even those successor guilds to those he have destroyed were also flattened down by his war machines. As soon as he hits every 10 guild mark he would return to Nazarick, learn of the ill news on who they have lost and continue forth in his blaze for destruction. The Golden Armada reached a peak of 9 vessels including his own that does not take into account the smaller ships he made as meat shields for his capital ships.

Sammael employed a simple battle tactic that have been employed by despots that could throw their massive armies like a body to the grinder. The 9 capital ships, an assortment of battleships and battlecruisers, would be flanked by smaller ships that will take any damage thrown by their enemy. Most spells in Yggdrasil are not AOE and there are specific classes that deal those kind of damage, he would simply target them first and then concentrate all fire on the guild base. This resulted in a wrecked base, numerous disoriented guild members and finally a very angry guild master. Angry guild master is akin to a dumb guild master, who thinks with his fist rather than his brain. If half of those guilds he destroyed actually thought of a strategy to stop them, they would have attempted to attack his ship directly, but they spread their anger to the smaller ships and let the larger ones fight without being too harassed.

Such foolishness.

Collecting broken guild weapons, burnt flags and pieces of wargear, Sammael destroyed more guild than those that was actively engaged by Ainz Ooal Gown themselves. With his armory filled to the brim with weapons, golds, treasures, and World Items that were obscured and none too lethal like the named 20. He traveled back to Nazarick like a victorious general coming from a year of fighting in the name of his liege. His ship hovered above the swamp where the Great Tomb was located, Sammael took out the ' _Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown_ ', puts it deftly on his finger and activates the magic on it.

Instantly, the game world shifted from inside his ship's bridge into the grand hall.

The doors of the throne room opened at his approached as he gazed at the lone figure still sitting on the far end of the great hall. Normally, the 10th Floor would be restricted space, unable to be warped into unless you have succeeded in going through the other levels. However, with his guild ring still on his finger, this overrode the settings of the dungeon and allowed him access to the innermost sanctum of the guild, Ainz Ooal Gown. A symbol of his continuing allegiance to the guild, he never took the ring off his avatar and maintained its position on his right thumb finger. Momonga stood up and stepped down from the raised platform, with open arms he beckoned the Fallen Angel as they greeted each other face to face after a long time.

":)"

":D"

"Welcome back Sammael-san."

"It is good to be back," he activated pyrotechnics from his avatar as he broke the good news, "After 6 months my friend, the Reliqua Crusade is successful. The guilds that participated on the battle of Nazarick have been rightly punished and their backs broken, some that even made successor guilds were also broken, their power scattered and their characters leveled-down by so much PK I lost count."

Momonga can only sigh and shook his head, "They were doubtful of you, they said that you would not come back, and even said that you would attack our base without abandon once your power has grown exponentially."

"Oh them of little faith, will you tell me their names?"

"Might as well, they have left the guild for all its worth," the Lich sighed again, "LuciFer-"

"I knew it, he can go to hell."

"Takemikazuchi and Punitto Moe-"

"Hmm, I expected Take-san to oppose to this decision and its apparent subterfuge, which he hated since it is against his code. But even Punitto Moe-san?"

"-he actually just thought about it, you know about Punitto's overactive imagination and being a strategist and all."

Sammael nodded in understanding, "I see what you mean- well, let us rectify that."

The interface that showed him joining 'Ainz Ooal Gown' once more popped up on his screen and he simply clicked 'OK'. With that his reintegration to the guild is complete and both remaining members showed a smiley icon.

"Welcome back to the guild my friend."

"Yes, a most wonderful welcome," he showed a sad icon on his chatbox and typed in, "But this is goodbye also."

"Whatever do you mean my friend?"

"I was selected for Officers Training that would allow me to progress my rank as an 'S'."

"S?" Momonga pondered, "You mean for the Special Forces? We never knew you were Special Forces!?"

Sammael laughed sheepishly, "It might have slipped my mind to tell you-"

"BUT THIS IS INSANE!? We thought your just a branch of the Defense Force, not the Special Forces or anything."

"I do apologize for that Guild Master."

Momonga shook his head in disbelief, "I suppose you do get tired of running around in the dark sometimes right?"

The Fallen Angel and the Elder Lich reminisced their friendship as Sammael surrendered the World-Class Items that he recovered. Together, they entered the Treasury secured all World-Class items including those that merited one time usage including those that he deemed unnecessary to his crusade. He also brought his own flag from the Hall of Ainz Ooal Gown, this flag that could be recognized by almost anyone from the game should now be hidden as a precaution to anyone that might link his name to the guild. Momonga was both very happy and sad as he looked at the weathered flags appearance, he knew that this flag flew from the mast of his great ship as he waged war across Yggdrasil. Now it sat on the most secured space in all of Nazarick, a spatial anomaly that was their Treasury, a flag unable to be seen anymore due to the danger it posed for them. For with the razing of their enemy guilds, the identity place of Nazarick as an unconquerable dungeon will never be broken, a testament to the will and quality of the man who made it so. With his long war against those characters, there will be no other means for the same Alliance to gather a number greater than a few hundred that will try to conquer Nazarick.

Never again would a guild attempt such a large undertaking, with bloodied noses they experienced level downs and with level downs came the excruciating grinding for EXP. But with their levels going down and very few players of full rank still available, it was next to impossible to fight stronger monsters now. So, with a heavy heart that instead of grinding for EXP, some just quits and leaves their characters behind. With this bloody work done, Sammael stood on the steps of the guild and logged-out for the last time in many years.

.

 _Fast forward - a few years later_

.

It was quiet in the halls of the Great Tomb, halls that were formerly filled with the sound of battle, of laughter and camaraderie have now gone silent. All 41 members have left and never returned, once or twice a former guildmate would log-in and take a short dive. Like the home of your old parents as you move out, silent and lonely. The lone figure on the grand round table sighed as the visage of the elder ooze fizzled out of existence. Momonga slammed his clenched bony fist into the wooden table and once more sighed heavily. His gesture was both juvenile and indeed futile, for all his bitterness that went with that blow he could not find fault with his old guildmate. HeroHero decided to take a short dive with him, he was one of his guildmates that have a very demanding job and it seemed to seeped through the eyes of his elder ooze avatar. He was actually gathering the courage to ask him to stay for the server close, but the woes of his friend got the best of him. In the end, Momonga held himself back and allowed his only hope for companionship to leave him.

Hence, the short outburst of frustrated rambling.

He was confident though that no one would hear him anyway.

"Our Guild Weapon, the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown," the golden staff shimmered and then appeared on his bony right hand after he equipped it, "Each and every jewel on the mouth of the serpent is akin to a Legendary Item on its own. *sigh* It is fitting that I carry you on our final hour and my only companion through these times."

Each orb have enough power to cast a high-tier magic, it has been declared that the staff can only be wielded by the Guild Master and the Top Mage in their guild. Unencumbered, unable to drop, and high-tier damage resistance, the weapon cannot be easily destroyed and can be easily repaired and remade. It cannot be disarmed nor snatched from its owner and has an inherent ability to float.

Suddenly, a message appeared on his HUD and he immediately turned back to the great wooden round table, a figure shimmered on one of the ornate chairs as he could not believe what he was seeing. Great black inverted wings adorned the newcomer, he had long flowing white hair and a scar on his right cheek can be clearly seen from his distance. With a sigh the Angel opened its eyes and it seemed to shimmer bright for a moment before settling into a golden gleam color. His armor was a simple unmarked cuirass except for an engraved 8-pointed star on the chest, it had an ornate pauldron on his right shoulder while the left was kept bare of any covering. Master-crafted bracers and gauntlets with built-in knuckle dusters adorned his fist as his inverted black wings flapped excitedly reflecting the emoticon he was displaying. His lower raiment consisted of a tattered cloak that covered his armored hips, the sabatons he wore had sharp eagle-like talons that moved with his toe fingers as a long sword rested on his waist.

His heart lifted as the Fallen Angel appeared in front of him.

"It is nice to see you old friend."

Approaching each other, they each put a hand on each other's shoulders and smiled.

"And me as well, I am happy you found time to login at the last day of the game."

"Its been a while my friend, but I did receive an email from you."

"Oh?" Momonga was surprised, he had sent that notification almost a month ago, curious that he had recently read about it. It was surprising that he almost forgot about it.

The Fallen looked at him from head and toe and asked, "I believe you were going somewhere?"

"Well- I was uh-" he suddenly felt foolish and embarassed at what he was about to do, he never expected one of his friends to log back in after HeroHero left, "I was- I was going to spend the last time of the server being open at the Throne Room and look at our flags. And- and try to reminisce on what we have done for the last few years."

Sammael nods and said, "Ah, indeed it seems that now is the perfect time to be nostalgic. Mind if I join you?"

Satoru Suzuki was elated, yet his bony avatar did not show it. "It would be great to have you with me to the end."

As they walked outside of the room, the Fallen looked at the halls of Nazarick and hummed appreciatively, "You have done well with maintaining everything Guild Master. The guild is the same way as I remember?"

Momonga would have blushed if he could in-game, he knew that Sammael had always been the most direct person he ever knew considering he was a Japanese. Being a military man might be the reason why he was like that.

"You embarrass me my friend, I have merely tried to keep the guild going. Our combined hardships and aspirations are within this guild, I would not let it so easily fall," the Elder Lich sighed, "Some dungeon raiders could have been successful, but I am happy to say none have succeeded. Not even getting past Cocytus, they are either too weak or disorganized. Indeed, its all thanks to the plan you have enacted. Without it, I fear another attack of that magnitude would have felled these grand halls. I cannot bear to have all our hard work come into nothingness, thus it is my duty to maintain it as such."

Sammael nods and sighed, "I admire your dedication to duty, I never expected that I would hear such words from a game out of fiction."

Momonga stopped, there seemed to be something wrong with his friend, "Is there something wrong? Am I right to assume your training has gone well?"

"Indeed, it has gone well. I was promoted to the rank of 'Commander'-"

 _"N-NANI!?"_

Sammael audibly laughed, that pun on their language never gets old, "I transferred to the JMSDF after being promoted, I was given a Navy Frigate and was sent to the Somalian Coast and then to the Gulf of Aden."

"Really? Then what?"

The Fallen sent a smiley icon and said, "I just did the same thing that I did here in the game, destroyed each and every vessel that did not seem right."

As they both headed out, the two Players passed a maid and Sammael stopped walking to inspect her. "You know, _'Whitebrim'_ made an excellent job in designing the Homunculus Maids."

"Hmm, indeed-"

"-they look just like real-life anime sex dolls in Akihabara."

"EH!? W-what did- how did you even know that!?" Satoru Suzuki stuttered in embarassment, "How did you know that?"

"Why not? I'm a sailor remember? It gets lonely sometimes out at sea."

"EH!? You use that Sammael-kun?"

"Hehe, my First Mate used to have one which he kept in his own cabin," the fond memory sent him into a giggling fit, "We would sometimes hear him groaning through the bulkhead of the ship."

"And I thought Peroroncino had the worst fetishes!" Momonga shook his head, "Moving on then, I can recall that Whitebrim designed most of the maid's outfits, in fact he was quite proud that none of their dresses looked similar to each other. Even their hair, their headdress, even uniform pattern is subtly different. 'Maid Uniforms are Justice' is what he always said to me, though 'HeroHero' and 'Coup De Grace' usually spouts those lines sometimes."

A warm feeling of remembrance enveloped them both, "Indeed. Indeed they said that always."

They kept walking and came upon the Pleiades Battle Maids lined-up and ready to do their bidding. Sammael approached them and looked at the grizzled male butler at the front of the rest. He rubbed his chin and said, "These sure are detailed, I believe his name was Sebas right? Didn't 'Touch Me' made him?"

"Yes, the one behind him is named Yuri Alpha, she was made by Yamaiko I think," the Fallen looked down at her arms, "Vicious looking gauntlet... just like her Mommy Yamaiko I see."

"Let's see if I remember their names hmm... Lupusregina Beta that sadistic bitch, can't remember who made her though... err, Narberal Gamma stoic looking kunoichi maid just like Daddy _'Nishikenrai'_... then Solution Epsilon with the biggest jugs I have ever seen just like what her old man _'HeroHero'_ want that closet pervert and all... mhhmm CZ Delta and Entoma Vassilie-" Sammael stopped sheepishly, "-its hopeless, I can't pronounce it."

Momonga giggled and gestured for the Battle Maids, he commanded them to "Follow" and they all lined up behind the 2 Players. They kept walking and finally came upon the adamantine doors of the throne room. An intricately sculpted solid door that showcases an angel and a demon on their respective side of the spectrum coming together as if to pull open the gigantic doors. The side of the doors were lined with numerous faces of entities in visions of combined anguish and supplication, it was beautiful and terrifying at the same time. Both doors swung silently open at their approach as the 2 of them walked side by side and they were greeted with the throne room view.

"I see you kept everything in order, oh... even our flags."

The Fallen Angel sent a smiling icon at the Lich and walked towards his own flag that carried his symbol, "Not a slight change was made, you kept it all in its original state."

"It would be rude of me to do so," he also approached the scarred flag as it waved in the artificial wind inside the throne room, "I believe your flag that you carried into battle and have attained numerous scars should be displayed prominently, whereas ours who are pristine and not even have seen the outside of these halls. Yours was carried proudly into battle and back."

They admired the pockmarked flag, its former bright color of an 8 pointed star was faded and bleached by spells too innumerable to count as a silent reminder of the viciousness this flag has been borne to witness. This flag once flew on the flag mast of their battle barge as it waved proudly the power and arrogant might of the Fallen Angel.

Both of them walked over to the raised dais where the Throne of Nazarick is located, the clock showed a few minutes left as the Angel gestured to the Lich to take the seat, which shocked the Lich.

"Eh!? You would have me sit down?"

Sammael shrugged his shoulders, "It is fitting, as being the Guild Master of this fine guild I am one of your members, thus you rule over me and a ruler should probably sit. Except only when the said ruler is only temporary and wishes to abdicate, which begs the question, do you really wish to abdicate? Again, why find the reason to abdicate when all you are being asked is to sit in a bloody chair, it is a fine chair as I have mentioned, quite comfortable with any tush that wishes to sit down on it. Which also raises the concern why you should sit down in the first place, for a fair point that this is the last day of the server and-"

"All right! All right! I'll take a seat on the bloody chair!" Momonga huffed in annoyance, "It slipped my mind on your stupid ploy to annoy a person by talking continuously thereby forcing your point across and the results you want."

The Fallen Angel sent another smiley icon, "Whatever works~"

"You put too much stock in me Sammael," Momonga said as he sat down with a flourish, "I'm just a salaryman compared to you, and administrator of sorts."

"Indeed you are," the Angel turned to him and said, "But you are the Guild Master, you represent Ainz Ooal Gown and its ideals. Your single mindedness to its preservation is the sole reason for its enduring stay in Yggdrasil. This shows that you are a great administrator, if given a chance you could be a Senior Minister of a VP of your company."

"I'm just a paper pusher Sammael, I don't have people under me or have frigates at my command."

This brought a small laughter from the lips of the Angel, "That is why you would make a great leader, a soldier like me can only be at our best on the battlefield. Eternal war and conflict is the only thing that would ensure that, peace is a concept unknown to the most battle-hardened of us. And shifting to civilian life is... hard for some of us. But you, you can exist in both worlds, you can command and be at peace at the same time with just a snap of your finger."

"You can't be serious?"

"I am not joking, I only speak from my experience and I can- wait a minute?"

He stepped over to where a succubus was standing next to the throne and he turned to Momonga and then pointed at her weapon, "If I'm not mistaken, that is the _'Ginunngagap'_ that she's wielding isn't it?"

"Hmm, it appears you are right?" the Elder Lich sighed, "... seems like Tabula logged in and didn't bother to even send me a message."

"Another obsessive person about details and character development that- holy shit!?" he pulled up her settings and back story and it filled the page like a Wikipedia entry. He scrolled to the bottom and found a statement that gave him another giggling fit.

"What's wrong with you? What did you see?"

Curiously, Momonga looked down at the details and also found the offending script.

[She is a slut.]

"Ever heard of gap moe?" Sammael asked after calming down, "A slut? I mean, she's a succubus and all but did Tabula have to write it down like that? We have to change it."

"What will we change it into?"

"Let's see," Sammael smiled, "Please allow me access to change the NPC profile so I can edit it."

Raising the staff of Ainz Ooal Gown, he allowed the Angel to edit Albedo's profile and backstory. Clicking with his finger he quickly deleted the offending script and contemplated on what to put instead. He was letting his eyes roam when it inadvertently fell on Momonga's waiting avatar. Chuckling darkly, he saved the changes and closed the editing window. Suspicious at his behavior, Momonga tilted his skull face and asked, "What did you do?"

"Nothing, I just changed it into something better."

"What is that ' _better_ ' thing that you put there?"

"Nothing~"

Momonga looked miffed, an answer coming from a fallen angel could actually mean two different things. It could probably mean he didn't do anything drastic or he actually did something that in his twisted mind could mean nothing. Whose law was that again? Murphy's or some other guy?

Standing up quickly and walking over to where Albedo stood unmoving, he accessed the settings and backstory of Albedo and scrolled to the bottom. Once there, he clearly saw in big bold letters.

'She is totally in love with Momonga-sama and wants to be his beautiful _waifu!'_

"What the-" he looked at Sammael scandalized, "Sammael! How dare you do this to Tabula's NPC? You sullied it!"

"What's the difference anyway?" the Fallen Angel shrugged nonchalantly, "The game is ending, we'll have a few laughs at Tabula's expense after that stunt he pulled with Albedo's weapon, improved her dignity because she hadn't been with a man and basically she would just want to be with you in the next-" he looked back at the time stamp of the game and shrugged his shoulders again, "-well, less than five minutes it seems."

The Elder Lich huffed but relented, "If you put it that way then I guess its fine, but its very embarrassing though."

"Stop thinking about it," they walked over to the throne and the guild master sat on the throne again as the chime that reminded them of the impending server close, "Let's just bask in the twilight of our 'online' dreams."

"Hey Momonga-"

"-Yeah?"

"It was quite a run huh?"

"Yeah."

"Mind if we exchange emails?"

"S-sure, I'm sending you mine right now."

Another chime signaled the end as the clock showed less than a few seconds remaining before the forced game log-out.

"Hey Momonga..."

"-what now!?"

"Don't cry okay?"

Satoru Suzuki gave a small smile as a tear made its way past his MMORPG DIVE Headgear as he closed his eyes for the last time in the game world and to finally wake up in reality.

"I won't."

And finally darkness.

.

00:00:01

.

Both opened their eyes as they saw they were still looking from the perspective of their own avatars.

"What the fuck?"

"Shitty devs."

They both said at the same time as it elicited a giggle from both of them, "Aren't we supposed to be logged out already? Why the hell are we still here?"

"I don't know, wait a minute-" Momonga grabbed the air and tried to access the log-out menu however, "What the- I cannot log-out Sammael-kun!"

"What do you mean you can't log-out?" the Angel asked indignantly, "Let me try!"

A few moments of silence as Sammael tried waving in the air to summon the logout menu until finally he sheepishly said, "I can't log-out."

"What the hell, didn't I just said that before?" Momonga stood up and began looking around the room, "Wait a minute, my HUD is gone."

"What!?"

"You heard me," they were both beginning to get agitated, there was something wrong right now, "I CAN'T CONTACT THE FREAKING GM'S!"

"SHIT! Me too!"

They were both beginning to get agitated when they heard a soft voice cooed at them like pealing bells on top of a hill. Both turned at her and they saw how absolutely stunning and beautiful she was, adorable too with her perfect questioning gaze locked on her dark eyes.

"My Lords~? Are you both alright?"

 _[Message]_

 _["What the flying fuck, did she just talk?"]_

 _["I believe so, what shall we do Sammael-kun?"]_

 _["Wait! Let me handle this,"]_ the Fallen Angel cleared his throat and said, "Did you say something Albedo?"

"Pardon my stupidity and ignorance, but what is a GM my Lords?"

Both looked at each other as the Elder Lich nodded slowly on the throne, Sammael cleared his throat again and declared loudly, "I shall answer your question, yes we are alright and... a GM is an- an insufferable being that should be serving us who plays the grand game, but tends to annoy us even more because we can't do anything about it. Not that they are powerful, but they are just powerfully annoying and we wouldn't need to waste our time with them. Clear enough Albedo?"

"Yes my Lord Sammael," she bowed low not meeting their eyes, "Once more, I apologize for my ignorance."

"No worries, now if there are no more inquiries, then leave us. We wish to speak privately upon ourselves."

The Pleiades battle maids stood up, bowed low and marched out with Albedo, from above 8-edged assassins dropped from the ceiling and also marched out of the Throne Room. As the large double doors slammed shut, all bluster and patience seemed to deflate from both players as they looked at each other and shook their heads.

"What the hell is happening Sammael-kun!? How is she even able to speak and open her mouth?"

The Fallen Angel licked his lips and rubbed his chin. He stopped as he suddenly realized something wrong, how in the world did he just felt his tongue lick his lips and his armored right hand stroked his skin.

"Momonga-kun, it seems like we are in the real world, or rather our fantasy world have been made into reality."

"What do you mean?"

Sammael breathed through his nostrils as his chest heaved and he opened his mouth to speak, "The fact that I am speaking to you right now is one obvious fact that we are in the real world, another glaring fact is that the HUD is gone and- oh my god, this is a SAO nightmare."

He spreads his inverted wings and opened his arms wide, "I feel fabulous just moving my wings!"

Momonga was stumped, his jaw comically dropped then he closed it once more, "This is beyond my understanding, how is this possible?"

"Its just one of those _'Isekai'_ situations and shit," the Angel shrugged his shoulders, "Want more proof? Wait here... Albedo, Pleiades... please return to your post!"

As soon as the words left his lips the large double doors opened and in walked the mentioned individuals, they returned to their post but bowed first and looked up to the both of them with the utmost admiration and respect. He cleared his throat and said, "Sebas, take the Pleiades Battle Maids and scout the perimeter. I want you to find anything outside, something that would provide us more information where we truly are. Take the 8-Edge assassins with you and be careful, that is my command."

"As you wish Lord Sammael," Sebas bowed low as the Battle Maids bowed and left the throne room leaving only Momonga, Sammael and Albedo alone.

[Message]

 _["I can now give you more proof on this being made into reality."]_

 _["How?"] the Elder Lich sat up straighter on his Throne._

 _["Do something... naughty."]_

 _["What do you mean?"]_

 _["Well, there's Albedo right beside the throne... why don't you try squeezing her in some squishy area so-"]_

A green aura washed over the Elder Lich as Sammael's raised a brow, "Uhh... what was that?"

 _["M-my passive I suppose since technically, I am undead-"]_

 _["Oh-ho, so you did feel something when I said squishy-"]_

 _["Would you stop pointing it out, its embarrassing as it is- hah! I'm not really good at this."]_

 _["Momonga, we really need that information- do it now!"]_

Momonga's glowing red eyes flickered brightly as he cleared his non-existent throat and then turned to the succubus, "Albedo, come here. I-I will be touching you."

He seemed oblivious as Albedo fluttered her wings elatedly, she approached the Overlord with happiness on her face as Sammael tried to maintain an indifferent face. Carefully, gently even, the Overlord took Albedo's arm in his bony hand and felt her pulse. Surprised at the numerous sensation he was feeling, Momonga didn't even notice Albedo's breathing get ragged as the Fallen Angel also sidling silently away to the side. The feeling of her alabaster smooth skin was phenomenal, her pulsing heart he could feel through whatever passes for his bone, what's more he could even smell her scent. He knew that if he was a lesser human, her allure would have made him succumbed to his desire. But being undead made him immune to the carnal temptations of the flesh, he puts his hands in her shoulders as she audibly whimpered. Sammael looked up at the ceiling and found the masonry very, very interesting.

Momonga licked his non-existent lips, _'Here we go, holy crap she does smell good.'_

 _["I heard that."]_

The guild master steeled himself, uttered a small prayer of apology to Tabula and grabbed Albedo on her chest. A surprised gasp and an audible moan later he squeezed a bit as he basked in the softness and supple texture of the fabric. Finally, it dawned on him that this is not Yggdrasil anymore since R-18 is not permitted in the game, in fact you get logged out if you forced to do such thing.

But since this is not the game world anymore, where were they?

His reverie was broken as Albedo chirped happily in his non-existent ear, "Momonga-sama, am I going to have my first time here now?"

 _'Eh?'_

"Would you like me to remove my raiments, or would you like to remove them yourself? I do not mind Momonga-sama- it could soil, but if that is your wish~!"

Her dainty looking maiden arms hid the strength of a level 100 NPC character as she dashed to him and then pushed him towards the throne and getting on lap. He would have blushed if he could as her face almost pressed to him, he could practically smell the scent out of her. She was moaning and cooing and breathing heavily as Sammael cleared his throat and began heading for the door.

"Welp! Seems you would be getting busy, good luck with that Guild Master- I'll be stepping out to give you some privacy."

"LIKE HELL YOU WOULD!" the green aura washed over him again, _["Help me Sammael!"]_

 _["But you look so cute together... I don't want to step in-between your love."]_

 _["And whose fault do you think that is huh? Save me- damn it!"]_

The Fallen Angel cleared his throat as Albedo continued her friskiness on top of Momonga's lap, who is currently unmoving as she was gyrating her hips on top of his own bony one.

"Albedo, cease this for now," the lust and excitement left her as she composed herself and bowed in front of the Supreme Beings, "I promise you and Momonga can fulfill this at a different time, now you must do your duty as an Overseer."

Her smile returned and a glint of excitement adorned her eyes, "What is it you desire my Lords?"

"Find all the Floor Guardians and gather them at the Arena on the 6th Floor, exclude Gargantua and Victim. They can only leave under our express orders and out of utmost necessity."

"As you command my Lord Momonga," she bowed to the Lich and then turned to Sammael near the edge of the raised dais and bowed again, "- my Lord Sammael."

Walking down the raised dais and out of the huge double doors, she bowed again at the door's threshold as it closed leaving the 2 beings alone once more.

As the door finally closed shut, the Fallen Angel sat down on the raised platform as Momonga also loudly sighed. Their thoughts were jumbled and the realization of them being on a different world were starting to set. They looked at each other until finally Sammael broke the silence.

"What now guild master?"

"I have many questions, so many questions- but my primary one is that are we here on a permanent basis or is this just temporary?"

The Angel was silent at this, "Would you go back Momonga-kun?"

 _'I have no immediate family, no real friends except those that I have played with in Yggdrasil, an administrative job that sucks-'_ the answer seemed easy and final, "I'm not sure, if there is a chance I might take it, but I do not have anything or anyone waiting for me. In case our creations did come to life, I might stay for them."

"For _them?_ "

"Albedo and the Pleiades are alive, like you and me," Momonga argued, "Did you not see the spark of life in their eyes? Will you be able to leave them? For someone like me who have nothing to look forward to, I'd rather start a new life here with them. Though I am now technically an undead being, I feel life surging through me."

Sammael looked down and contemplated his words, inverted wings of gold and sparkling dust fluttered lightly to the floor, "I believe our situations are the same, when I get back then its another case of being ordered around and bowing down. Providing we have also taken our powers with us, I believe we can carve our own niche in this world."

"Shall we test it?" Momonga stood up from the throne and then walked down from the raised platform.

The Angel also stood up and positioned himself behind the guild master, "You would cast a spell inside the Throne Room?"

"Nothing of that sort," he waved his hand reassuring his friend, "Wouldn't want to destroy or damage anything our friends made. Now-"

While holding the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown on his left, he thrusts his right hand forward palm open and said in a clear voice, "To me! To me Demons of the Lemegeton! Your Master summons you!"

Immediately, the large golems adorning the upper arches of the Throne Room jumped off from their mounting plinths and surrounded the 2 Supreme Beings. They lined up perfectly as they looked very bulky and ungainly, but in truth are deceptively very agile to the point of impossibility. They stood at the ready, their stance hunched and ready to pounce on any enemy that threatened their lords. Sammael and Momonga can only nod in understanding, so at least some of the mechanics of the game did made it to this world.

Question now is, how much of the game had become reality?

"That's one way of testing that I suppose, but what we need now is to test this with our spells. Do we still have access to our items and gear?"

"Good point, any idea where we can try it out?"

They met each other's eyes and a thought clicked on their mind, "The 6th Floor arena."

"Let us go then and be done with this," Sammael led the way as the double doors opened to let them pass, Momonga turned back to the golems and commanded them to return to their posts. The golems lumbered back as they began to meander their way towards the 6th Floor.

"-wait, wait Momonga-kun, I have an idea!"

"What now!?"

He raised his gauntleted hand and showed the Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown, a ring of immense power that allows one to be transported to anywhere in the Great Tomb of Nazarick without any restrictions.

"We shall test this at the arena on the 6th Floor."

Both Supreme Beings blinked out of existence as the static defenses of the Throne Room activated once more.

.

.

.

To be Continued.

Author's Note: I have rewritten the fic and I must say, I am very happy with this.

Cheers,

Scarabeye3000


	2. The New World Part 1 (rewritten)

Disclaimer: Seriously, I would have owned this if only I was rich, sadly I am not. So its not mine.

 **Title: Heaven or Hell?**

Chapter 2 - The New World 1

.

.

6th Floor - Underground Arena

.

"That cloud is shaped like a goat-"

"It does not."

"Yes, it does!"

"-no, it does not. A goat does not have five legs."

"Well, _'El Shub-Niggurath'_ does."

Momonga looked stupefied, "W- We are not talking about fictional goats and that- that is an unfair argument."

"Well, there is one of the cloned 'Dolly' that has five legs," Sammael said helpfully.

"Agh! That was a domestic sheep. A 'cloned' domestic sheep."

"Same difference you know, they both eat grass."

Momonga sighed at their banter, "Why do you always make it difficult for me to argue with you?"

"Hehe."

The Lich and the Angel walked jovially together as 2 friends enjoying a walk around the street. Both agreed to test the usage of magic and their effects on a stationary target for now. While they have surmised that, Albedo, though a bit zealous for Momonga's taste is faithful to the 2 of them. To the point of dangerous adoration as described by Sammael, who he wholeheartedly blamed for the woman's mind conditioning. Arriving at the entrance to the underground arena, they admired the forest surrounding the large stadium. It was designed that way to give contrast and focus on the stadium itself amidst the background of lush greenery. Additionally, this area was designed by one of the Supreme Beings and since being transported to the New World have come to life. The trees are all alive as a stream ran through the whole forested area, fueled by magic and the wondrous works of the said Supreme Being.

With their world blighted by pollution, unstable weather, global warming, violence and territorial disputes unseen in centuries. To be able to escape to this New World is a true blessing they could not dismiss. Their friends who built this dungeon hoped for a better place and thus it was made so, with their hardwork, time, and sacrifice, they all made it possible.

"Blue Planet would have loved it here."

"Indeed," a wave of sorrow washed over both of them, "They all would have been happy here."

Blue Planet, was a Supreme Being of immense druidic powers and skill. They remembered him as the very few poets and painter of their lifetime produced, the 6th Floor was ideally his canvas. He recreated the day sky and the night sky view, with all the constellations that they could not even see anymore, yet perfectly reproduced underground.

"His design of the Arena was top-notch too," Sammael said admiring the numerous Greek and Roman pillars mixed in artistic preference that would have made a classical architect spin in his grave.

"He did have Bellriver-san to help him, still to be able to make an excellent approximation of the real natural world, its just mind-boggling."

They entered the darkened halls of the Underground Arena, walking through its stone corridors and marble statue decorations, its opulence was beyond reckoning. Lights and torches began lighting one by one as they approached as they steadily made their way to the center of the structure. Momonga looked back on his memories of this place, if it serves him well, they would be encountering the Guardians of this place. The twin Elves designed by Bukubukuchagama herself, both siblings were tasked to guard this place and both knew they should be able to encounter them at the center of the arena. As the sheer size of the Arena drew their breaths and left them speechless, an excited squeal could be heard from the rafters above. Their eyes traced the top most viewing deck and saw a white figure throwing itself off from the side, they both almost cried out in alarm and worry when they realized that the thrown body managed to twist itself in mid-air and did a complete somersault as it landed softly on the hard ground.

Like the way a dainty bird would land on a piece of branch, it could do so with sheer physical agility and dexterity.

"V!"

She looked like a bouncing 11 year old child as she gave the victory sign from her landing. Her bright smile and childish exuberance signaled the message all too clear for them.

"NAILED IT!"

Though her jump ruffled the feather wings of Sammael and Momonga almost bit his non-existent tongue to prevent themselves from crying out in alarm, they of course did not. She was like a small firecracker, energetic, loud and she looked absolutely adorable with her white uniform and an androgynous face that appealed to both genders.

 _'Well, that's not good right?'_ Momonga shrugged as they both looked at the young dark elf in front of them. Her hair were like silk strands of a fine golden fabric as it reflected light with a luminescence of an angel's halo. The heterochromia on her eyes, one blue and the other green seemed to show the eagerness of an innocent child and her ears were long evident of her race. Dark smooth skin depicts clearly her racial trait being that of a Dark Elf.

Wearing the suit made and designed by their creator, Bukubukuchagama, her suit was designed to have a long sleeved red dragon scaled shirt. A white vest and matching pants sewn with golden fabric was richly embroidered with the emblem of the guild on the chest area. A necklace of gold chains went around her neck and a pendant, made with a golden acorn, glowed with innate power. A pair of leather gloves that was sewn with magical strips of metal completed her upper garments.

A savage looking whip dangled on her left waist and a white longbow made from fine quality wood was strapped on her back. Such delicate construction could have only been achieved with magic, and the weapon did glow with its innate power.

 _'Her name is Aura right?'_

 _'I suppose...'_

 _'You suppose?'_ Sammael raises a brow in question, _'Your the bloody Guildmaster right?'_

 _'I know she is, I'm just getting back at you for the fiasco with Albedo.'_

 _'Never going to let it go huh?'_

 _'Until she finally gets to grip that it would be physically impossible to even attempt a copulation with m-'_

A green aura washed over Momonga as Sammael looked at him sympathetically, _'I- I see, well, accept my apologies then Guild Master.'_

They both watched as the dark elf jogged towards them gracefully, her nimbleness given evident by her race. Too quick on her feet, she came to a screeching halt in front of the 2 human players.

"Greetings my Lords! Welcome to the 6th Floor, the Underground Arena, our humble domain."

She bowed her head respectfully, she seemed familial to them, but her respect and obvious trust with the two of them showed through her eyes and her action. The 2 players looked at each other and bowed imperceptibly.

 _'She does not seem hostile to us right?'_

 _'I concur, shall we proceed with the first plan anyway?'_

 _'Lets.'_

Sammael smiled and lets go of the underhand grip he had on his sword, with silent communication, Momonga walked ahead of him. Though no hostility could be actively seen nor felt from Aura, both of them felt it very prudent to be cautious at this new development.

"Thank you for your greeting Aura," the Lich said, elation seeping in his voice, "Both of us will be imposing ourselves for a while at your Floor if that would be all right?"

"My Lords," Aura gushed and bowed at them, "You honor us with your presence, you are the Supreme Beings and Lords of this Great Tomb. You can never impose on something that is already yours, indeed my Lords, you are gracing us with your presence."

 _'S-so bright!'_

 _'Such- such bright... DEVOTION!'_

Sammael and Momonga both kept silent as her outgoing personality stunned them, her faith and adoration undulated from her in waves. Though there was a hint of fear, it did not fully cover the feeling of love and respect she showed them. Emboldened by her actions, Sammael nods his head slowly and said, "Aura, since you are here- I believe your twin should also be here? Is he indisposed?"

Aura blushed and looked nervously around, she then turned on the highest balustrade where she initially jumped off and shouted, "How long are you going to wait there? Our Masters are here, get down here! NOW!"

A stuttering voice rang out as the 2 Supreme Beings looked at each other and nods knowingly.

"I-I can't onee-chan-"

Wringing her hands in nervousness, Aura turned back to her Masters and smiled sheepishly, "I'm sorry My Lords, he's not usually this way. He usually follows orders right away."

Sammael chuckled, amused at the settings of the 2 Dark Elven children, "It is fine Aura, your creator made you two this way. We know."

These words somewhat relaxed the tomboyish elf, nevertheless she immediately turned back to the balustrade and screamed more firmly, "The Supreme Beings are here on our Floor and you, a Guardian, is not here to greet them! Such disrespect does not fit you idiot brother!"

"P-please wait... I-I'll take the stairs-"

"-you would make them wait longer!?" her voice trilled shrilly, "GET! DOWN! HERE! NOW!"

A few moments of silence until finally the other half of the dark elf twins found his courage, they heard a faint croak of, "O-ok, here I go..." and a body threw itself off from the top. Now that they were ready for it, both Momonga and Sammael didn't try so hard to control their emotions, both merely sighed as they saw the tumbling body right itself up, albeit it took longer, and finally landed on its two feet on the arena floor.

The other twin landed less steadily than Aura when she jumped down, though it didn't seem to affect him as he jogged towards them less quickly.

"I-I am very sorry to have kept you waiting-" Mare said as he puts a dainty hand on his chest and bowed low, "M-Momonga-sama and S-Sammael-sama."

Nervously he looked up at them as the 2 Supreme Beings towered over him, their eyes scrutinized every detail of him. They noted the details of his dress, the inconsistencies, anything that might have an unfortunate result from being in their presence. Thankfully, both of them saw nothing as they relaxed at his presence. Momonga looked on and saw the same dress make that Bukubukuchagama made for little girl that is currently dressed up in this boy.

 _'Hahhh...! Bukubukuchagama and her fantasies, well, with a brother like Peroroncino-'_

Mare's dress was cut the same way as Aura's being twins and all. He wore a white vest and a shirt of blue dragon scales and a small green cape that reached the small of his back. A pleated skirt with a section of skin peeking on his hips that was not hidden by the knee high- were those socks or stockings? Either way, his boots were leather and he had an acorn-shaped pendant on a silver necklace. The threads used on his dress was silver and a direct contrast to Aura's whose motif was gold all the way. Lastly, he carried a gnarled wooden staff of a kind of black wood and a pair of lustrous white silken gloves covered his hands and arms.

"Both of you seemed to be brimming with energy?" the Fallen inquired, "It is good to see you both happy at least."

"Of course we are Sammael-sama!" Aura replied while extending her arms wide and excitedly flailed them about, "Aside from your visits, we were hoping we could go exploring or at least have an intruder fight in the arena- it's been so long my Lords since we did a good stretch!"

A stab of pain seemed to lance through both Supreme Beings as they remembered the Battle of Nazarick. Their enemies plowed through here and slain all defenders from the 1st up to the 7th Floor before being stopped by their counter-measures on the 8th Floor. To think that these children would have been slain, Momonga felt sadness as Sammael felt righteous fury in him.

A soft quivering voice snapped them out of their remembrance, "I-I would rather not, if that is all right... t-they truly scare me sometimes... well, most of the time."

"E-excuse me a moment my Lords," Aura bowed respectfully at the two of them, turned towards Mare and pinched his ear, "I shall discipline my brother for a moment, shan't take long!"

"O-o-oww ouchie!"

"You have kept our Lords waiting... and dare shows cowardice," the tomboyish girl grabbed her sis- I mean, brother in a tight choke-hold and proceeded to squeeze the air out of him, "Next time, when I said jump- you jump idiot brother!"

"I'm- GHAK! S-sorry my Lo-lords..."

Sammael gave an amused laugh while Momonga benevolently waved his hand to stop the elven girl from choking her twin brother into oblivion, "That is fine Aura, you may release your brother... he seemed thoroughly chastised."

"T-thank you my Lord..." Mare gave thanks as he was released, the Lich and the Angel looked at each other and fondly remembered Bukubukuchagama and Peroroncino through the twins and their animated interaction.

 _'That avian pervert and his Seiyuu sibling would be extremely pleased to see them moving about.'_

 _'Indeed Sammael-kun, their actions reminds me quite fondly of their interaction with each other.'_

 _'Remember the 'Red Rage' incident when Peroroncino changed Aura's dress into Shalltear's and put men's wear on Mare-'_

 _'-yes I do, I think I saw something in the news back then about a seiyuu throwing her brother out of a 2nd story window. They had to call the police.'_

 _'I thought it was funny.'_

They could both see that the twins showed an unbound eagerness and excitement seen in all children. Their creator, a seiyuu of many animes and games had a lot of references in regards to designing a character, as such she had modeled the two in regards to her image of what an 'elder sister' should be like and then what a younger brother should be. Peroroncino, being the model for the idiotic and weak-willed younger brother albeit more docile was the characteristic of Mare. Additionally, their racial trait made them especially alluring being Elves and all. Their inherent classes, of a woodland druid, and a ranger, both complimenting each other on their skill as Aura can fight in close to mid-range, while her brother Mare can fight and cast magic from mid to long range.

Looking like children in their eyes, there was something oddly alluring about the twins. It was probably their inherent racial skills, being Dark Elves and all however, there was one thing that they did not fail to establish ever since seeing Mare with their own eyes.

As described by the great Admiral Ackbar of Mon Calamari, "It's a trap!"

Momonga looked at Sammael as he knelt in front of the twins and said, "I'm sure that your Creator would have love to see you moving about on your own-" he beckoned for the twins to come to him and embraced them both in his armored body, - oh if only she could see you and hold you both. So adorable!"

Both children blushed and looked very pleased at the same time. Their adoration for the Supreme Beings and faith was unwavering, but to be told by their exalted Masters that they would be loved by their creator was beyond euphoric.

[ **Message** ]

 _'Uhh, you okay over there Sammael-kun?'_

 _'Have I ever told you how much I loved elves? Especially the dark ones?'_

 _'Is this another fetish of yours?'_

 _'Yep!'_

 _'Oh dear God-'_

 _'Worry not, it is not of the Peroroncino kind-'_

The twins gushed at the attention of Sammael as they smiled and blushed some more in his powerful embrace. He rubbed his cheeks on their hair and felt their blood rush up to their cheeks. With one final squeeze he stood up and lets both of them go, ruffling both of their hair at the same time, feeling the strands of hair that was as smooth as silk. The twins faces showed they were both extremely pleased at the adoration of Master Sammael.

"Well then," Momonga cleared his throat and said, "We have visited you today, not just to see your welfare. But we would also like your help."

Aura immediately saluted, "Of course Momonga-sama, what would you require of us?"

"We will test our spells if it is still as potent as ever," he rubbed his bony chin as if in thought, "We need targets."

"What sort of targets would you want my Lords?"

"I believe we still have the straw targets before?" it was the Fallen who spoke next, "Didn't we have a surplus of those?"

"Ah, understood Momonga-sama, Sammael-sama!"

The eldest of the siblings turned and did a shrill whistle towards one of the arena entrance. Shadows moved in the darkness of the archway, but from there two huge monsters walked out. Massive reptilian bodies almost 3 meters tall and a mixture of both human dragon, like a demi-human dragon with sinews of corded muscles that act as their armor. Their faces were like dragons and their arms and legs were almost as thick as young trees. Though they possess no wings, they carried great axes and hammers on their backs, on their shoulders though are numerous straw targets as commanded by Aura. Moving and placing them in regular intervals, they finished placing the targets on the places indicated by both Sammael and Momonga as the dragon-like men moved hurriedly away.

Both Aura and Mare looked then at the Supreme Beings, their eyes filled with excitement and anticipation. Lord Sammael stepped back too and gestured to the targets at Momonga.

"Well, after you Guild Master."

"Umu," the Elder Lich felt no fear and stepped forwards, he raised and aimed the staff towards the straw targets. Concentrated on the spell he wants and called out, [ **Fireball** ]

A large ball of fire erupted from the tip of the pointed staff and hurled itself into the straw targets, it exploded with such fury and heat that it engulfed every single targets that was placed. It burned with such intensity that even the ground turned to ash, its overpowering heat was such that the dragon-men casts themselves in front of the twins and shielded them from most of the heat. Momonga huffed in awe, one trait of the staff that is that it significantly amplifies a magic caster's power. Certainly, that would explain the efficacy and potency of a simple Tier-1 spell

 _'That was impressive Momonga-kun!'_

 _'You praise me too much- I'm just happy it worked!'_

 _'Well, let me stretch my wings too then.'_

He then stepped back into line as Sammael stepped forward and stretched his own limbs, it was weird having wings, a different sense of balance must be maintained since having an additional weight behind him seemed to screw his balance as he walked along. Good thing is that he could control the two wings as well as his two arms. Focusing on the remaining target he felt something coursing through his body, like a prickling sensation that seemed to course through his body. And then the words left his mouth-

[ **Light Cross** ]

A towering cross of light as high as 20 feet and that has a diameter of 15 feet engulfed the spot where his target stood. The white energy cross admittedly obliterated the target completely without trace, Aura and Mare stood further back shielded by their creatures from the blast while Momonga stood with his mouth open in shock.

[ **Message]**

 _'What the hell was that?'_

 _'I-I'm really sorry Momonga-kun, but damn- it was only Tier-3? Who could have thought it would be so- so spectacular!'_

 _'Tier-3? Tier-3 you say? I thought we agreed only to use Tier-1 spells for testing our theory?'_

 _'Did we agree on that?'_

 _'So, now you have amnesia?'_

 _'Well, considering the blast radius, its a good thing that I used only Tier-3- I was actually contemplating using [ **Grand Cross** ] for a moment there-'_

 _'W-what? Grand Cross? Wasn't that a Tier-8 finisher spell? Isn't that what you used to fuse your shells for your weaponry?'_

 _'U-huh.'_

 _'Confound me to have you as a friend! Your going to destroy Nazarick by casting that spell inside here.'_

Momonga sighed and shook his head in frustration, his friend could get too excited at times and if they are not careful, then the consequences could be very severe in this new world. However, it is good to know that they are able to at least cast spells, in the same casting time, and in the same manner that they did before. Though the effects seemed to varied somewhat, the higher the Tier, then the more destructive it will be. But how about Over Rank magic or Super-Tier ones? A Tier-10 could be catastrophic in this world, it could spell doom for this world even. And of course, there is the question of the channeling spells, what about the constraints on those?

"Let me try something Sammael-kun, step back for a minute."

The Fallen bowed in acknowledgement and stepped back, Momonga raised the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown and aimed it at the burning targets. Power or rather magic coursed through his body as he casts, "[ **Summon: Primal Fire Elemental** ]"

Small fires that licked on the last of the burned straw targets began to whirl in place, it began as a small fiery tornado no bigger than a human child that erupted into something as large as a 2-story house. The whirling conflagration burned intensely with the heat from an unknown source, its power was beyond anything a human could hope to fight, its blaze threatened to burn even the stone steps of the arena and turned them to cinders. Momonga and Sammael looked in awe as they stared at the Fire Elemental that formed before their eyes. Its roar came not just from its mouth, but the sound of fire burning with such eternal rage and fury that it is a miracle to have contained such in a semi-sentient being. An armored humanoid object, with large claw-like arms and a crown of enormous fire horns. It floated on a platform of fire as its intense wave of fire began to sharply shape into form. As the storm of fire abated, a large hulking flame monstrosity stood before them. Its arms bulgy and spiky, accented by the gout of fire on each of its arms, its gaping maw breathing and spewing flames as well, it stood almost 20 feet tall and towered the twins even the Overlord and the Angel.

Momonga turned to the twins and noticed Aura's large twinkling eyes, "Do you wish to fight it?"

"Can I Momonga-sama?" she asked the Lich then turned towards the Fallen Angel her enthusiasm undulating from her in waves, "Sammael-sama?"

"Umu," the Lich was all to glad to oblige, "If you can handle it of course."

She grinned as Mare began to walk off to the side mumbling, _'I just remembered that I must do something-'_ a stiff gloved hand stopped him as he turned and saw his sister's twinkling eyes and dangerously sweet smile.

"Where do you think your going brother of mine?"

The tomboyish girl dragged her protesting brother towards the elemental as they engaged it. As the twins actively engaged the Elemental, the two Supreme Beings looked at each other and used [ **Message** ] once more.

 _'What do you think Sammael-kun?'_

 _'I think they're both cute and adorable.'_

 _'W-what?'_

 _'I think the twins are adorable,'_ the Fallen smiled and continued, _'-and it is exciting to see that they have a mind of their own. Perfectly conditioned and loyal, child soldiers both powerful and knows how to use their physical and magical prowess. Their mindset is phenomenal.'_

 _'I see what you mean, a Primal Elemental is no walk in the park. It can damage us if we are not careful... but the both of them have perfect synergy.'_

 _'Indeed, their movements complement each other- the lights in their eyes were not those of an automaton. They are alive Momonga-kun.'_

 _'Like humans?'_

 _'I said alive, though they reflect human emotions and thinking they still have the capacity to fall trap to limitations of humanity.'_

 _'You mean our inescapable fate to destroy ourselves?'_ Momonga sighed at that, _'Flawed castings from an already flawed mold.'_

Sammael looked at him and shrugged, _'Maybe yes, maybe no... only time will tell Momonga-kun.'_

 _'Indeed.'_

 _'-and judging from our character's race, being an Angel and you a Lich. We have an eternity to find out if the answer is as such.'_

Momonga had no answer to that, his friend's assumption was right. They were immortal races, but would they succumb to their natural kind. Only time will tell these things. Though their analysis of the denizens of Nazarick that they have interacted with are all positive. Each and everyone of them are intelligent beings who could think on their own. Breathe, think and move on their own, but it would folly to think that they are all flawless in their make, for their own makers, the other members of Ainz Ooal Gown were indubitably human, thus flawed in their own ways.

 _'Sammael-kun.'_

 _'Yes?'_

 _'Since we can use our abilities here, do you not think that we should be able to use our other items too?'_

 _'You mean our inventory?'_ Sammael rubbed his chin thoughtfully _, 'Your right... hmm, let me try something-'_

The Fallen concentrated and reached upwards as if trying to grasp into thin air, but his hands vanished into an opened dimensional gate. It was only as big as his arm and he seemed to grasp for anything inside, he closed his eyes and focused on the object he wanted to hold and suddenly felt the object that he wished to be on his hands. Grasping it tightly he pulled it out of the dimension and it finally saw the light of day after many years hidden away. Momonga's jaw bone almost dropped as he beheld a World Item in Sammael's hand.

 _'Sammael, I thought you surrendered ALL the World Items?'_

 _'I certainly did. All those under the named 20 were given back, except those that can be used as weapons like this one. I could use this in battle or something, so I kept it for now.'_

Momonga sighed exasperated, leave it to someone like him to be especially paranoid _, 'Alright, so what do you have there? No, wait- let me.'_

[ **All Appraisal Magic** **Item** ]

The stats of the item and its name flooded into his mind as he rubbed his bony chin, _'I see, the Spear of the Seas, or commonly known as, Poseidon's Trident- hmm, Earth Upheaval Overrank Magic! Eh? Storm Caller!? Immunity to Lightning, Wind, and Water... this is quite the powerful item Sammael-kun. How many characters did you kill to get this?'_

Sammael seemed to grin at that question, _'T_ he _loss of the whole Pirate Lords Guild.'_

"I see."

They finally turned their eyes as the gigantic Primal Fire Elemental vanished slowly, its fire dissipating, like a candle reaching the end of its wick. The blazing heat it once emanated and once left in its wake began to cool off. Momonga sensed that the monster's consciousness slowly eroding from his mind, like a smoke on the face of a soft wind.

"Both of you worked splendidly..."

"Thank you my Lords!" Aura wiped the sweat from her forehead, "It is invigorating to work so hard after some time!"

Mare's ears drooped as he approached them panting, "Thank you M-my Lords... and thank heavens its over..."

The Supreme Beings looked at the twins as they tried catching their breaths, just like a normal person they were panting, their foreheads glistened with sweat and the heat from their bodies could be felt by the two. Sammael, seeing that they were tired did just what Momonga was actually gearing to do and plunged his hands into his inventory. He quickly withdrew a magic item that made the Elder Lich tilt his head.

"Is that Endless Water?"

"Yes," the Fallen sighed, "My favorite twins seemed tired after their exercise after all."

The Guild Master let out an amused sound and instead took out two ornate glasses of high quality crystal, the Angel poured the water to the waiting glasses and turned to the twins.

"Come you two, have a drink..."

The twins noticeably blushed and the tip of their ears reddened, "My Lords... this is not good Momonga-sama, Sammael-sama..."

Mare nodded vigorously, his hair glistened with sweat, "I-I can make water my Lords... please don't pour water for us."

"Nonsense, we appreciate you... and it brings us-" Sammael looked at Momonga meaningfully and smiled, "-joy, in seeing our creations working so hard for Nazarick. We shall never forget your sacrifices."

"Ehh?"

"Huh? Sacrifices?"

"Think nothing of it," Sammael smiled, "Come, drink."

Aura and Mare blushed further and reluctantly took the offered glasses with a bow. The Supreme Beings looked on as they both drank their glasses of water differently.

Aura drank hers like a thirsty sailor would drink rum, without any preamble she downed the cool water with great gusto. The gushing water spilling a few droplets on the corners of her mouth. Dripping a bit down to her neck and wetting the edges of her vest. Her brother on the other hand held the glasses carefully with both hands and slowly drank it properly. They were such a contrast with each other that their differences were quite palpable.

"AH! THAT HIT THE SPOT!"

*burp* "Thank the Gods."

"More?" Sammael offered.

"Oh! I have had enough my Lord Sammael, thank you!"

"I-I have also had my fill... m-my Lord."

Aura and Mare returned their glasses to Momonga as both Supreme Beings tidied their things. As the twins stared up at the two of them, Sammael kneeled in front of them and began wiping their soot-covered face with a pristine white handkerchief.

"M-my Lord Sammael..."

"Hush children! There should not be any excuses, you both must always look presentable and well-dressed. I mean, what would Bukubukuchagama say to me if I do not keep her children in check."

He gently dabbed each twin in the cheek as he wiped their semi-dirty faces, they looked so pleased with themselves that Aura actually asked, "P-perhaps we are the only one you are nice to My Lord?"

"Perhaps. But it seems you two are one of my... _favorites_ ," he truly derived pleasure in taking care of them, not that he did not know why. Perhaps the library of Nazarick has answers- he will need to speak with Momonga about this later.

This statement earned another wide grin from Aura and Mare blushing to the tips of their elven ears while Momonga looked on. He was still making the twins both presentable when suddenly a disemboweled voice radiated from a shimmering spot a few paces away.

"Oh! Am I perhaps the first one to arrive?"

A shimmering portal opened in front of them and a person standing 4ft 5in tall stepped out of the opened [ **Gate** ]. She was wearing a blood red ball gown that was reminiscent of the Victorian-era dresses. A frilled red blood bonnet covered her head with a large ribbon trimmed red and black, her long silver hair reached past her lower back as it glimmered in the soft light. The sleeves of the dress covered up to the wrist and it too had soft frills, her skin was so pale it seemed to glow and reflect the low light. As if her skin glowed like the light of the moon.

She was stunningly beautiful, with a small face that perfectly framed her petite body.

Her silver hair was tied up in a ponytail that descended on the right side of her head, looking like a young girl of 14 or 15 years of age. Her youthful appearance and charm, together with her innocent gaze and inherent cuteness showed such vulnerability that it does not fail to charm even the most stalwart of men. Her breast accentuated her figure, with her petite frame and large bust, she flaunted her assets in a manner not befitting her age.

"So, you casually use [ **Gate** ] inside Nazarick? And had the gall to actually teleport into my level?" Aura's voice was dripping with poison and a dark shadow seemed to cross her face, "You should have worked your way here on foot Shalltear."

The pointed voice came from the small child in Sammael's arms as the previous image of an adorable puppy seemed out of place. Instead, such spite and loathing was bleeding off Aura as she looked at the newcomer. Her cold words were not lost on the Supreme Beings as the Fallen Angel gently puts his hands on Aura's shoulder and gently pats it to calm her down. Her brother Mare stepped back a bit as the rising hostility of his sister started to pour out of her.

The newly arrived Shalltear made a beeline towards Momonga and completely ignored her, as she approached them, both Supreme Beings could smell a somewhat _alluring_ perfume on their nostrils. Momonga wondered at that, isn't he undead? Why was he able to smell both Shalltear and Albedo, the scent of vegetation, even the smell of ashes didn't escape him.

His reverie was broken when Aura's pointed voice rang out, "Shalltear, don't tell me your trying to allure Momonga-sama with your odious rotting scent?"

"Such a tactless child! Momonga-sama is the same as me!"

"Did your brain began to rot already? Momonga-sama is definitely different from you."

"In what way?" Shalltear countered sharply, "In what way... exactly?"

"He's an Overlord Skeleton! He doesn't need to rot of course."

Realization dawned on Shalltear and Mare as they nod their heads thoughtfully, the two Supreme Beings looked at each other and felt their connection link together again.

 _'In her defense, that's the simplest explanation I have heard.'_

 _'Really? That's her reasoning?'_

 _'She makes a sound argument Momonga-san.'_

 _'You only go with Aura because you 'love Dark Elves'.'_

 _'Shut up,'_ Sammael scoffed.

As they bickered internally, Shalltear made his way towards him and attempted to hug Momonga. But her short stature and the towering height of the Elder Lich made a height difference that was quite comical to look at. She managed to clasp her hands on his shoulders and dangled as the Elder Lich straightened a bit to his full height. Her carmine lips and alluring gaze will absorb any lesser men to their depths, but her youth itself knocked a few notches from the overall seductiveness.

"Ah, Momonga-sama... my beloved and the only one that I cannot rule..."

 _'Sammael...'_

 _'Yes?'_

 _'A little help?'_

 _'You handled Albedo fine, you should be able to handle a lolicon character like her. Considering her creator was a lover of H-games through and through... its no wonder she turned out that way.'_

Momonga decided to stand his ground as Shalltear held onto him, a low growl escaped from the dark elf in Sammael's arms as she softly said in Shalltear's direction.

"Fake boobs."

He could literally feel Shalltear shaking in anger as she released her hold on him and landed softly on her feet. She stomped towards the grinning Dark Elf who also freed herself from the arms of the Fallen Angel.

"W-what the hell are you talking about-!"

 _'Aha, and the walls of her heart comes tumbling down,'_ Sammael thought as he gazed at the bickering females.

"Its so obvious, you used [ **Gate** ] to avoid shaking all that padding you put insi-"

Shalltear grabbed her chest and blushed, "Uh- uwah- t-that's not true!"

"Obvious lie," Aura grinned evilly at her enemy's withering resolve, "How many packs of padding did you put in there? I bet it shifts while you run and- oh, I see, so that's the truly the real reason you used [ **Gate** ]."

The vampire grits her teeth and shakes her hands angrily, "Shut up shorty! It's not like you have your own over there!?"

"But I'm only 76? Plenty of time to grow up and have a great figure to boot, unlike an undead that doesn't grow old- no future to improve on your bust, you will never attain that bust whatever you try."

Shalltear moaned in frustration and defeat, she looked harried as Aura smiled a little darker.

"... to think your quite satisfied with that size- absolutely no class."

Sammael and Momonga could actually hear something snap nearby.

"You damn shorty!" Shalltear's aura began spilling out from behind her as Aura's eyes began to glow, "I'll murder you-!"

The Supreme Beings were rooted on the spot as they felt that the two girls would come to blows, even Mare stepped behind Sammael as they began to step forward each other. Their weapons being deployed, with Aura untying her whip as a black miasma covered Shalltear's arms. They looked like their creators, since Bukubukuchagama and Peroroncino, Shalltear's creator, were siblings.

"What. A. Ruckus!"

Heavy footfalls could be heard as a large heteromorphic creature strode forth from the entrance, stand a good two and half meters tall and resembling an insect standing on its two feet. It looked like an ant with the head of a praying mantis. Its frozen spiky tail swished behind him, while two large icicles protruded from his back. Its mandibles were truly massive and could easily sever an appendage in a single bite as the ever present cold aura persisted in its immediate vicinity.

It carried a large platinum halberd that does not look like it can be lifted by any man in its many arms. A terrifying visage of an extremely cold death, the 'Ruler of the Frozen Plains', Guardian of the 5th Floor of Nazarick, Cocytus.

Impatiently he slammed the blunt end of his halberd into the ground and a freezing spell spreads further from it.

"Both. Of. You. Rein. In. Your. Senses. The. Supreme. Beings. Are. Right. In. Front. Of. You."

Chastised, they were about to relaunch their tirades against each other as Momonga felt the time is right to intervene, "Shalltear, Aura. That is enough."

They both visibly shook from their heads to their toes and quickly bowed their heads, "Please accept our apologies."

Momonga and Sammael shifted their heads a little to show their acceptance, they both turned towards the new comer as the Angel smiled, "Cocytus, you have come too."

"I. Came. Immediately. My. Lords. After. Receiving. The. Call. Of. Meeting."

"It must be very boring after having no enemies as of late right?"

"It. Is. As. You. Say. Lord. Sammael. Peace. Dulls. My. Blades."

The Fallen smiled and rubbed his sword hilt, "Don't worry old boy, I shall spar with you one of this days. No magic, no nothing, just pure skill."

Cocytus's mandibles clicked excitedly as he bowed as far as his bulky body would go, "Tis. An. Honor. To. Receive. Such. A. Gaze. From. A. Supreme. Being."

Momonga gave a small laugh and turned to the two approaching shadows from afar, he might have turned into a skeleton now, but he found out that his senses were heightened beyond human proportions. He could see, smell, and hear far better than he was. Maybe it was a racial trait, who knows, the list of things they need to discuss on their own is getting longer it seems. Albedo and another man was walking together as they made their way towards the gathered Guardians.

The man graciously bowed at the Supreme Beings and said, "Forgive me my Lords for my tardiness."

He was a tall and fit looking man, dark skinned and with oriental features with round glasses. His black hair was combed back and his Western business suit looked good on him. His impeccable attire and good looks belie the evil truth about him, for a silvery tail trailed behind him.

Demiurge was his name, and he was given to rule over the 'Blazing Inferno' the 7th Floor of Nazarick. His creator Ulbert Alain Odle, a Walking Disaster in Yggdrasil. His eyes that was hidden behind his glasses were actually rough diamonds that had multiple cuts that confused anyone who would gaze upon them. He looked around and seemed to be mentally counting the Guardians.

"Momonga-sama, we seem to be lacking people, were they not summoned?" his voice were like pealing bells on a hilltop, a passive skill that he could use, [ **Command Mantra** ], an especially useful skill for those that posses lower levels or simply weak-minded puppets who follow his every word like a whim. But, this skill was completely useless to all present, if they were to hear his voice they would only say that Demiurge voice sounded beautifully and with great eloquence.

"There is no need to call them, Victim and Gargantua are not necessary for this. Yet, Albedo will inform them of whatever we shall be discussing to them later."

"Understood my Lords."

Albedo stepped to the side and presented the gathered Guardians and called over to them.

"Then, let us pledge our loyalty to the Supreme Beings."

Before Momonga could interdict, Sammael looked at him knowingly and allowed the Guardians to line up in front of them and stood straight. Shalltear stepped first forward and said, "Shalltear Bloodfallen, Guardian of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Floor, presents herself to her Masters."

She knelt in front of the two of them and bowed her head, her one hand pressed on her bouncy chest and the other on the side lifting her skirt slightly so as not to step on the edges of her dress. She looked like a Victorian-era maiden greeting a monarch among her peers.

Cocytus stepped forward next and declared in a strong voice, "Cocytus. Guardian. Of. The. 5th. Floor. Presents. Himself. To. His. Masters."

Much like what Shalltear did, he also bowed deeply, bending his knees, and keeping his weapon at the ready. The twins stepped forward and Sammael's wings shifted upwards a little bit.

"Guardians of the 6th Floor, Aura Bella Fiora-"

"-and M-mare Bello Fiore present ourselves to the Masters."

As the twins finished their bows, the demon-like Demiurge followed and stepped forward in a dignified manner. Like a lawyer or a politician would carry himself, "The Guardian of the 7th Floor, Demiurge, presents himself to the Masters."

Following his 'charmed' words, he descended on one knee and bowed deeply.

Albedo also bowed her head and said, "Albedo, Guardian Overseer presents herself to her Masters."

"With the exception of the 4th and 8th Floor Guardians, all the Floor Guardians are gathered before you. We give our undying fealty to our Lord and Masters."

Sammael and Momonga stayed silent as their myriad emotions played within them, then suddenly a pressure of immense proportion seemed to bow the Guardians even more as the Supreme Beings stood even straight. The Overlord's body exuding a fearsome aura while Sammael's aura exploded and cowed the gathered NPCs even more. They were both silent, not for the impressive display of loyalty, rather from the loss of thought because of the sincerest gesture that they have seen.

 _'S-Sammael-kun, w-what the hell do we do now?'_

 _'They are so loyal... not even soldiers are capable of, wait-"_

 _'Got any idea on what we should do?'_

 _'Wait.'_

 _'Now what?'_

 _'I shall prove their loyalty...'_

Sammael stepped forward and beckoned Demiurge to approach him, the demon stood up and approached the Supreme Being. The Fallen raised his hand and looked at him in the eye and said,

"Guardians, your brethren shall prove your loyalty today by giving me his arm."

Not one of the gathered throng flinched at the order as the demon merely smiled and bowed deeply, "If that is what my Lord requires," replied Demiurge and promptly ripped his left arm off using his right and presenting it solemnly to the Supreme Being. His black blood spilling and drenching the arena floor. Although he should be in obvious pain, he did not flinch nor cry out, he simply smiled and tried to bear it.

Momonga was horrified at the viciousness in front of him, but as soon as the NPC hands his arm to the Supreme Being and before he could cry out in alarm, the Fallen Angel spreads his wings wide and engulfed Demiurge in his embrace. Covering them both with his wings, the Guardians and Momonga looked on as they heard the Fallen Angel muttered an Overrank Spell.

[ **Chronos** ]

Demiurge was suddenly wrapped in a blue sphere of energy, his severed arm floating where he pulled it out. All of the Guardians and Momonga could see his body being healed, bones and ligaments reattaching themselves and even his sinewy muscles mending themselves as his diamond eyes are glazed over and unseeing. As the light faded, they could see Demiurge with his appendage complete and his eyes opening.

His gaze met the Supreme Being Sammael standing in front of him, the Angel cups the NPC's head in his 2 hands and puts Demiurge's forehead into his own and muttered.

"By my power you are restored Demiurge," their heads separated and he made the demon approach the Guardians, "Thus, you, son of Ulbert Alain Odle, have proven all to those present the fealty and worth of the Guardians, which is in our eyes are simply nothing short but exceptional. Now return to your comrades and bask in their adoration of your devotion and willing sacrifice."

Looking very pleased with himself, and glowing with pride, he returned to the line of Guardians and bowed again. The oppressive aura seemed to affect Demiurge a little less as his expression gushed forth joy and overwhelming happiness.

It is in this setting that Sebas finally stepped from the shadows with the Pleiades Battle Maids in tow. The maids stopped at a respectable distance, obviously afraid to cross a hidden threshold they have with the Supreme Beings.

"Sammael-sama, I know we pale in comparison to the Supreme Beings, because we are merely your creations."

Albedo bowed respectfully, but spoke earnestly at the Fallen Angel, "In comparison to your achievements magnanimous Lords, we can never compare. As Warmaster of Ainz Ooal Gown, to fight day after day to secure the future of Nazarick, truly I cannot even see the scenes on your fight with the other Gods. But the Supreme Beings will only need to give the order, and we- the Guardians will throw ourselves to any task that has been set before us. We will grind ourselves to dust just to fulfill our mission and we swear to the every fiber of our being to be an honor to the memory of our creators."

Sammael stood forward and raised his hand, "I can see that the ideals of our comrades lie deep in your souls and engraved in your blackened hearts. I know, myself and Lord Momonga may seem difficult and truly _unfathomable_ in your eyes. But you must understand Guardians, even Gods make mistakes and only the bonds that have bounded us together can help us survive this trying situation."

"Bonds? Sammael-sama? Are we not your servants?"

Momonga gave a dark chuckle as he turned to Albedo, "This bond transcends those of Master and Servant, it is the bond of family, you may not be aware of it yet, but in due time this lesson will all be imparted into you."

"As you wish my Lords."

"Now then, Nazarick has been caught in an extra-ordinary situation upon which I and Momonga-san have no memory of," Sammael turned to Sebas and beckoned him to approach, "Sebas, tell us of the situation from above. What did you see?"

"Yes my Lord, we carried out the orders of Lord Sammael to the best of our abilities and began to scout the area around Nazarick. We are surrounded by a grassy plain in each direction, there are no monsters detected nor humans in this place."

Sammael contemplated the information given to him, "Are there any other things that you saw?"

"Aside from small creatures littering the ground, I see not one man-made structure in sight."

"You said small creatures littered the ground, were they monsters perhaps?"

"They were rabbits my lord, a couple voles and some squirrels in a nearby forest."

The Fallen Angel rubbed his chin, "They're not monsters? Describe them to me Sebas."

"Small, not a sliver of any combat prowess-" Sebas cleared his throat and said in his deadpan voice, "-soft and fluffy."

Momonga and Sammael almost smiled at his expressionless face as he said 'soft and fluffy'. The Angel cleared his throat to remove the tension and asked, "How about the plain that you saw? Anything remarkable about it?"

"I only saw simple grass, unremarkable and colored green. Suitable for cows I suppose."

This stopped both Supreme Beings again, Sebas was designed by Touch Me Not, a stoic and level-headed guardian. But what's with the random words?

"I see."

Sammael stepped back towards Momonga and looked at him intensely.

[ **Message** ]

 _'We may have reached a world that is outside of Yggdrasil Sammael-kun.'_

 _'Hmm, it seems apparent... we should alert the whole tomb for any counter-attack.'_

 _'Counter-attack? Does it seem prudent to have the Guardians on standby?'_

 _'Guardians? Heavens no! I shall call my soldiers.'_

 _'You mean the Heavenly Host?'_

 _'Yes, if I remember correctly they were deemed Guardians to guard and defend the tomb. My soldiers were made to attack. Also, it seems message apparently works over distances so-'_

Sammael stepped back from Momonga as the Guardians kept silent and observed their Lord as he muttered in the air, _'Azrael, come to me.'_

A shimmering portal opened above their heads, a mixture of numerous rainbow colors bounced around the borders of the portal as a shining angel began to descend from within. Unlike Sammael that have only one pair of inverted wings, the coming Angel had 4, he was covered in a white toga although his plate armor dispelled all notions of softness or weakness, the borders of the armor looked like the white from bones and a glowing gilded arc was perched on his shoulders and showed ancient Latin text of supplication and healing. His head was gilded in a glowing halo while his eyes glowed a bluish white light, he carried numerous scrolls and glowing runes adorned his individually feathered wings, a large jewel suspended in a silvery gold necklace hung on his neck that glittered every time he would move. Landing softly in front of the Supreme Beings, he banged his breastplate and bowed low.

"I present myself, Azrael, _the Helper of God and Angel of Death_ , to the Overlord of the Supreme Beings Momonga-sama-" he bowed in acknowledgement and then turned to Sammael, "-and to my Creator and Warmaster Sammael-sama."

His voice was powerful and it carried the same enchantment as Demiurge's voice. He knelt in front of them, like a grand scholar or wiseman would address his liege. His two knees bended before them, and one hand on the floor, his head bowed looking at the ground towards the feet of the Supreme Beings.

"Rise Azrael, for I must be brief," immediately he stood up, his hand clutching a scroll and summoning a pen, "Alert the Heavenly Host for a sudden enemy attack that may come, in any case, we may need to counter-attack quickly so prepare for that. Also if I remember correctly your other brethren are in hibernation right now. It is not necessary to wake them all, especially Zeruel, do not wake the 1st up to the 4th for they are not needed yet and I fear without anything to distract them they might do something foolish."

"Understood my Lord."

"Now, hear me well _'Helper of God',_ prepare the Skybarge for a counter-attack. Begin the awakening phase of the first elements of the Golden Army, input code DefCon:Bravo. Standby at the ship for me- you may go."

Azrael was instantly clothed in a bright light and shot out of the portal that remained opened after his arrival. The Fallen Angel watched as the portal closed and turned to Momonga. He nods his head signaling that he was done ensuring the offensive capabilities of Nazarick, the Elder Lich turned to the gathered Guardians and raised his bony hand.

"Guardians, increase the alert level of all levels by one level. We will now consider ourselves in a defensive state, all intruders that we encounter will not be slain, rather they must be captured alive at all cost. We need information Guardians, and these intruders if there are, will be the ones who will provide it."

All kneeling Guardians nod their heads in unison.

"Demiurge, from what I remember you are the Defense Commander of Nazarick in case of an invasion is that correct?"

The demon beamed, "Correct as always my Lord."

"Umu. Albedo, as Guardian Overseer I want you to partner with Demiurge on a comprehensive defensive plan for Nazarick itself. There is no need to include Sammael's Angels for they are responsible for something else entirely."

"Understood my Lord, shall we include the other Floors as well? Including your domain?"

Momonga shook his head, "The 8th Floor is managed by Victim, he must not be disturbed as much as possible. Also, let it be known that the 8th Floor is forbidden to all. Only with our express permission will anyone be allowed to disturb the 8th Floor."

"What about the 9th and 10th Floor my Lord?"

Momonga contemplated for a moment, "Assign guards as you see fit, I trust you will make it so it will not hamper the denizens of the 9th and 10th Floors?"

"Of course my Lord, though there is the issue of the teleportation matrix from the 7th Floor to the 9th Floor since it is effectively blocked from all entrance."

"Then I shall release the seal on redirecting the matrix, make it so later Demiurge, Albedo."

"As you command," the Overseer and Defense Commander nods their heads in unison.

"Next is the static defense of Nazarick," Momonga turned towards the twin elves and beckoned them to rise, "Aura, Mare any ideas? Illusions will not cut it plus it can be dispelled and thinking about the maintenance in MP."

The twins looked at each other, afterwards Mare quipped, "We could cover the walls in mud or soil then add plants as camouflage."

"Do you intend to soil our walls with dirt?" Albedo's voice held so much contempt that the sweetness seemed lost in the language. The little dark elf trembled, they didn't move and held their tongues, their body language suggesting an agreement to Albedo's words.

In contrast, Sammael and Momonga felt the Overseer was too much. They were asking for suggestions and one feasible idea came up and it got immediately stamped.

"You will not speak again Albedo, unless you are addressed," Sammael's voice dripped with menace, an oppressive aura exploding from his being, "We are all looking for suggestions on how better to protect Nazarick, I do not hear you uttering anything of significance to the things we require."

The succubus head bowed down as low as she could go, her body was trembling in fear. There was much malice in the voice of the Supreme Being that the other guardians flinched and imperceptibly stepped back. Her body shook harder as Momonga also stood forward and gave a tired sigh.

"This displeases me, we are in a state of emergency. If we required you to speak in earnest then do so, if we wish to hear your words to partake in your ideas then we would do so. Does the Guardians think so little of their peers that every utterance they seem to take is not noticed by both Momonga-san and me."

He gestured with his hand and swept it across in the air, "Are our views of your thoughts so insignificant that you would not let us hear it? How little you value us!"

The other Guardians' faces looked stricken as they bowed, feeling that they must say something, they were beaten to it by Albedo herself.

"Please forgive me Lord Sammael, I-it is not my place to hamper your views. Please rescind your wrath against us."

"I am not wrathful Albedo," the Fallen Angel continued, "But I hope you will all learn that such blind devotion is much stronger if you share it with others. Now, Mare continue with what you were saying."

"Y-yes Sammael-sama... so I can try and conceal the walls using dirt to mask the appearance to those who would look at it from afar."

The Angel rubbed his chin and turned to the other Guardians, "Any ideas to improve on Mare's suggestion?"

One by one the Guardians began making addendum to what the dark elf said, the Supreme Beings tuned them out a bit as a familiar spell pricked on his mind.

[ **Message** ]

 _'What do you think Momonga?'_

 _'I think you were too hard on them-'_

 _'-and I think she was too hard on Mare.'_

 _'Aha... you shouldn't be too hard on them.'_

 _'I know, but it would be quite troublesome if this will become Albedo's reaction especially if we seek peace with the denizens of this world.'_

 _'Hah, to think you would be considering peace, the Warmaster of Nazarick.'_

 _'That is why we have ambassadors, besides... its not like we can't be civilized and talk things through.'_

 _'You are right, but I am still unsure of their thoughts of us. Call me paranoid, but this whole situation is the perfect paranoia.'_

 _'No worries Guildmaster, I'll ease your doubts-'_

Sammael raised his hand and the Guardians stopped talking at once, Demiurge and Cocytus looked on as the Supreme Beings gestured for the two of them. "Demiurge, Cocytus, I am in favor of the suggestion of you both."

The bug warrior bowed deeply, "Tis. An. Honor. For. My. Words. To. Be. Considered."

"Both your words have merits alone, but imagine if both ideas are combined-" the Angel began to describe a series of earthen walls and false hills concealing the Great Tomb of Nazarick in the middle, stationed in the walls are low-level undead warriors that generally spawn in the mouth of the Tomb itself. From above it could be seen quite easily, that is solved by having Cocytus deploy the characteristics of his frozen floor. The mist and fog of the cold would mask the shape and size of the Tomb's entrance and would keep it from scrutiny. With the walls as high as the roof of Nazarick, and the surrounding area also having similar hills as decoy, it was the perfect camouflage, plus in case someone did try to attack them he would task Mare to construct an earthen star fort that would encompass the Tomb entrance in the middle. As Sammael describe the traps and deadly flora and fauna they would deploy, Demiurge's smile kept getting wider and wider, and Cocytus kept clicking his mandibles in joy, truly the militaristic nature of the Warmaster was overwhelming some of his innovations they could not even began to replicate.

Plus, the defensive structures he described called 'bunkers' was entirely new on their minds. He said he would give them books to better describe them and how to build them. Truly, only a Supreme Being can grant them a menagerie of task that will play to all their strengths at once.

Albedo and Demiurge would take care of the administrative, communication and over-all defense of the Tomb proper.

Aura, Mare and Cocytus would design and build the fortifications outside and prepare the static and dynamic defenses including the so-called 'bunkers' designed by the Supreme Beings.

Shalltear temporarily monitor the tomb's communication and portal needs.

"Momonga-san has something to say," the Fallen Angel declared and stepped back.

"Guardians, I am pleased to see you are all so eager to obey our commands. You are dismissed for now, everyone take a break before doing your orders. This is a trying time for us, be vigilant everyone."

All of the Guardians stood as one and nodded in agreement, Sammael was beginning to walk off when Momonga raised his hand again, "I have one final question for the Guardians. Beginning with the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Floor Guardian Shalltear- what are we to you?"

"You Momonga-sama is the true embodiment of beauty, your white body encompasses all the virtuous elements of the perfect undead. Lord Sammael, on the other hand is the mightiest of the Supreme Beings, his powers in slaughtering many other Supreme Beings and Gods are truly mythical.

There were no hesitations on her voice, merely unbridled adoration. It was unnerving and comforting at the same time.

"- how about you Cocytus?"

"A. Being. Of. Absolute. Power. And. Ruler. Of. The. Tomb. Of Nazarick. That. Is. Momonga-sama. Sammael-sama. Who. Slaughtered. Countless. Other. Gods. That. Can. Only. Be. Matched. By. My. Own. Creators. Feats. And. Strength. And. Deserving. Of. The. Title. Warmaster. of. Nazarick."

Sammael smiled a bit and turned to the twins.

"-how about you Aura? Mare?"

"Momonga-sama is a magnanimous Lord, both gracious and fortuitous, Sammael-sama is a very kind Lord, Kind and vicious which is good I think."

"M-momonga-sama is a powerful and good Lord, while Sammael-sama is also very kind and quite- quite nice."

"-Demiurge?"

"Momonga-sama is a most wise leader, an Architect of Fate with great foresight and unfathomable wisdom. Sammael-sama on the other hand is ONE of the mightiest Supreme Being, his exploits are known to us and his sacrifice, the heavy handed Lord of Blood and Destruction."

"-Sebas?"

"Momonga-sama and Sammael-sama are both truly merciful leaders who did not abandon us, even though our other Creators have left, you both deemed us worthy and stayed for us. If I may be so bold in saying."

"-Albedo?"

"Momonga-sama is the Supreme Being who rules over all, our most revered and exalted master, and beloved dear to my heart. Sammael-sama is a true friend to my beloved and has shown great kindness, mercy and leniency to a foolish child such as I."

The Supreme Beings kept silent until finally the Elder Lich stepped forward and declared, "We have heard and understand your declarations to us. You shall be held responsible now for the embodiment of our lost comrades to this world. I trust you will take great care not to disappoint."

The Guardians bowed low once more as the Supreme Beings looked at each other and then teleported away.

.

.

Throne Room of Nazarick

.

The two Supreme Beings materialized in a blink of an eye as the instant they thought of the spell they were taken away immediately. Dismissing even their unseen guards, the 8 blades assassins, Momonga made his way to the Throne and sat down with a sigh.

"I need to lie down, I just- I just need to lie down a bit-" Sammael proceeded to do just that and laid down on the carpeted floor, "I can't lie down! There's something poking me on my back its just- oh! never mind then."

Shifting his wings to get comfortable he closed his glowing blue eyes and said to no one in particular, "What the fuck are we doing here?"

Momonga sighed, "I am suddenly so tired... mentally of course. Why is it that they looked at us wish such adoration? It's not like we made them literally?"

"To their eyes we made them, in all aspects of being- the settings left by our comrades had been integrated and made fantasy into reality. Now this might seemed so absurd, but anything is possible I suppose."

"Is there no other rational explanation to this bizarre situation?"

"Our current bodily constitution is already bizarre, I mean look at you for example Momonga-san, what do you feel right now? Hungry? Thirsty? Any feeling of touch left?" Sammael counted off one by one and punctuated by raising his hand and gesturing with his fingers, "There is no way that a human body can function with just pearly white bones. I mean, you can talk without a vocal chord, you can move your... umm, bones I suppose without muscles or ligaments to hold it together, you don't even have skin and yet you can touch others."

"Yes, its really bizarre," Momonga rubbed his two fingers together, "It feels like when you have a glove over your hand? And you touch something... I mean I can feel it, but not in its entirety... I really can't describe it in full."

The Angel sat up and wiggled his wings up and down, "And having wings is kind of weird."

"But you are really something Sammael-kun."

"Why is that?"

The Lich shrugged his shoulders, "Well, considering this is the first time that we saw them, I am quite surprised that you know how to handle the Guardians."

"I used to be a Naval Commander right? I suppose I can take care of a few people, in any case, the Guardians all seemed to be loyal to the hilt."

"But I can't help feel that we are missing something- we can see they are loyal, but how about in the future? Can we still guarantee that?"

"That is the future your talking about Momonga-san... there is no proven way to predict it."

"I suppose."

Sammael sighed and stood up. Dusting himself off he turned to Momonga and said, "So, ready to deal with the Golden Army?"

"Let's go," and they both promptly vanished.

.

Meanwhile

.

The pressure they were feeling awhile ago suddenly vanished as the Supreme Beings teleports away. All the Guardians sighed in relief and the tense atmosphere dispelled almost immediately. Albedo stood up and patted down the dirt that stained her dress on the time she was kneeling so hard on the ground, the sheer pressure of the Supreme Beings aura managed to cow them into submission without even lifting a finger. She could not shake off the feeling of dread though when Lord Sammael singled her out due to her overzealous behavior.

I suppose the Fallen Lord realized that she really couldn't stop the way she reacted given that was the personality that her creator, Tabula Smaragdina had made her into. She sighed again and wiggled her wings, she looked at the other Guardians and cleared her throat, "How is everyone?"

"T-that was scary... right nee-chan?"

"Yeah! I thought I was gonna die!"

"The Supreme Being's presence is so overwhelming, I thought my shoulders would break," Demiurge's face visibly paled, "I couldn't even move my tail when Lord Sammael was angry. His anger is washing over us and- never thought a demon like me would be scared. "

"It. Is. To. Be. Expected. Lord. Sammael. Is. A. Warrior. And. They. Can. Only. Express. Themselves. As. Such. No. Use. Beating. Around. The. Bush. But. From. What. I. Know. He. Fought. Other. Guilds. To. Secure. The. Position. Of. Nazarick. That. Day."

"Indeed," Shalltear said as she dusted off her ball gown off from the dust, "I heard he and his War Host destroyed so many other Gods they displayed the Flag of the Gods they destroyed at the Throne Room."

"Truly?" Albedo's face creased in wonder, "When we were in the Throne Room, it was not there. Maybe Momonga-sama or Sammael-sama moved it."

"I suppose so," Demiurge straightened up and looks at Albedo, "Well then, shall we begin preparations on the task that was set before us."

The succubus nodded and stepped forward, "Very well, firstly-"

.

Meanwhile

.

Azrael the Helper of God stood on a large cathedral like room, he dutifully waited for the Supreme Beings arrival as the automatons carried on their work around him. He rushed to the other ships and began waking up the other Angelic generals, aside from waking up the Manufactora and their Techpriests, from the various Legio of semi-sentient Angels to their Principalities, and the Dominions, and the Seraphims, and the Praetorians. Now, the Supreme Ones orders were explicit.

Do not wake the whole legion, merely those that reside in the main Skybarge. He had also woken up 4 of the 8 creations, a title they bestowed among themselves counting down from the eldest to the youngest, well since he is the 8th, that would make him the youngest. Not that he loathed his station, rather he would be extremely relieved if his brothers would take their duties seriously, especially the first of the 4.

He sighed again as numerous heavy foot falls approached him.

"What is the matter Azrael?" a red armored warrior in red flaming armor trimmed in white asked, his hair was curly and his eyes blazed with the color of the sun, he was the 5th Creation Zadkiel, the Angel of Mercy, "Was our elder brothers hard on you again?"

"They are not awake yet-"

"-oh? Thanks heavens!" another one carrying a large staff in white and yellow armor followed Zadkiel, "Sometimes our elder brothers are too much they go overboard sometimes."

"Pull yourself together Baraqiel," the last of the three armored arrived, his armor was pure black and he had a folded scythe resting on his shoulders, "The Supreme Beings could be arriving any minute now. Your complaining will not endear us further to them."

"Greetings to you Brother Baraqiel the Angel of the Guards, and Brother Leliel the Angel of Hails."

Leliel waved him off, his all-black armor clanking in place, "Don't be too stiff... we are brothers are we not?

"Of course, yet respect must be given to where it is due."

"I suppose, still it seemed the Warmaster did not summon us all?"

They made their way towards the front courtyard of the cathedral, which is of course the main deck of the _'Stellarum Nex'_ , stretching almost 500 meters they saw row upon row of soldiers formed smartly and unmoving, their angelic wings shining as their banners and legion insignia flew into the artificial wind, gun batteries at the bow and the stern of the ship with smaller anti-aircraft weapon bristled its sides. The Angels sighed at the view, it was unnerving to see the ship that housed them and provided them the tools needed to carry out their mission.

To be the scourge of the enemies of Nazarick, to be its spear and cripple its enemies, to be the sword that destroys all.

"In any case, there was no definitive information yet about the enemy, nor was there a confirmed sighting of any enemy," Azrael quipped, "He deemed it not prudent to wake the others since they have a tendency to find trouble where clearly there are none."

"I can imagine waking Ramiel just to see the progress of a Guild siege, I suppose he would just begin to blast away everything."

An alarm suddenly called out to the four of them as a mass of energy began centering in the middle of the cathedral, the assembled throng of denizens and four Angels bowed as the Supreme Beings, Momonga Overlord and Ruler of all Nazarick, and their creator Sammael Warmaster of Nazarick stepped out.

"Ave Suprema Homines!"

"Ave Phaedra! Ave Imperator!"

The Supreme Beings looked at each others as the soldiers gathered before them numbered too many to simply count, their roaring voices of greeting and adoration shook their senses as they actually now felt the power that they technically have in their grasp.

[ **Message** ]

 _'Wow... bugger.'_

 _'Sammael-kun?'_

 _'Yes?'_

 _'Is that Latin I hear?'_

 _'Umm, yeah... I seemed to have set them up to use Latin as a greeting. Shit.'_

 _'Is there no way to revert them to Nihonggo?'_

 _'I am not sure. Bugger me.'_

 _'You told me you know everything about this ship?'_

 _'Give me a break, I haven't been here for a long time... give me some time and let me wing this shit.'_

 _'Your breaking character-'_

 _'-will you just be quiet!'_

 _'Ugh!'_

.

.

 **To be continued**  
.

(A/N: Re-written at last)

 **Sammael -** my OC is an Angel, albeit a fallen one. I really like the idea of having Momonga, an administrative type have some form of right hand to act as his general and confidante instead of 'winging' it every time with Albedo and Demiurge. It looks like he got away from pretty much all his schemes due to his immense luck and some divine authority. Which probably turned out Ok I suppose.

 **Level: 100 Angel**

 **Basic Angel racial traits**

All physical weapon damage resistance (slashing, piercing, blunt weapons)  
Ranged damage resistance (piercing, magic imbued)  
Magic damage resistance  
Light Vision  
Critical hit dampen  
Resistance to Holy/Light Damage  
Resistance to Mind Control and negative status effect  
Unholy Damage Weakness III  
Negative Energy damage weakness III  
Food, Drink, Sleep enabled but unnecessary

 **Empyrean Commander Bonus Abilities**

 **Heavenly Commander's Protection:** Resistance to all damage V, Immunity to Holy/Light Damage, Increased HP, MP stats. Immunity to all negative status. Increase HP, MP Regeneration. PROTECTION can be projected to current Party. Stackable with Aura.

 **Heavenly Commander's Might:** Significant physical and magic damage increase, Double damage to Evil Creatures (low karma), Constant burn Damage to Evil creatures V (negative karma) in a wide radius, Increase Critical Damage to Evil Creatures (low karma) medium radius. MIGHT can be projected to current Party. Stackable with Aura.

 **Omnilingual** : all languages usable/understandable

 **Battlefield Omniscience:** battlefield perception that sees all, wide radius.

 **Summon High Tier Angels Seraphim/s - Cherubim/s (9/day):** Sammael can summon a whole choir of Seraphims with their Cherubim escorts.

 **Summon Mid Tier Angels Throne/s - Dominion/s (20/day):** Sammael can summon two choirs of Dominions and commanded by a Throne-ranked angel.

 **Summon Low Tier Angel (30/day):** Sammael can summon a platoon of Archangel Flame led by their respective Principalities.

 **All Elemental Damage Immunity**

 **Negative Status Immunity**

 **High Tier Physical Invalidation III** : Nullifies all low level physical attacks (below level 70).

 **High Tier Magic Invalidation III** : Nullifies all low tier spells. (below level 8)

 **High Tier Damage Reflection** **III** : All damage received receives a swift counterattack, with 50% chance of double damage. Unblockable.

 **Radiant Hand of Blessing:** Empowers all those that has been touched, either physically or magically. Random chance, random efficacy.

 **Aura of Inspiration I** : Emboldens all allies against fear, paralyze, blind, and sleep effect. Low increase in stats.

 **Aura of Bravery II** : Disciplines all allies struck by fear, removes blindness, drives those that were paralyzed and awakens those who were sleeping. All negative status already applied is removed.

 **Aura of Light III** : will cast Dazed status to all enemy without High Tier Status Effect Nullification or any low-tier resistance. Will Inspire allies against fear, paralyze, blind and sleep. Medium increase in stats. Chance to resurrect good karma characters (significant XP penalty) Banish all low-tier evil creature small radius.

 **Aura of Brilliance IV:** will cast Blindness, a higher status of dazed. chance to cast Protection against Instant Death. Chance to resurrect low karma to good karma characters (small XP penalty). Banish all low-tier evil creature wide radius.

 **Aura of Sanctuary V:** chance to resurrect negative to low karma characters (no XP penalty). Banish all mid-tier evil creature wide radius.

 **Servant of Heaven:** chance to dominate and cleanse negative karma characters (-100 to 0 karma)

.

 **Fallen Empyrean Bonus Abilities**

 **Herald of Exterminatus:** Cleanse all targets regardless of enemy or ally pings, very large AOE, friendly fire effect 75% of damage.

 **Hand of the Creator:** combine Holy and Evil energies to create or destroy a target. Heals both Light and Dark creatures.

 **Ruler of Hell:** transformation into a Demon Lord.

 **Lord of Chronos:** Time manipulation. Allows Instant Spell Casting.

 **Aura of Genocide V** : sacrifice half of HP for devastating damage to a large AOE, no MP cost. Slows and debilitates all surviving enemy for 5 minutes and prevent all positive effects and spells to take effect in the covered radius.

 **Word Manipulator:** ' _My name is Bond, James Bond..._ ' charming beyond all recognition.

.

 **.**

 **Racial Levels**

Archangel: 15

Seraphim Champion: 10

Empyrean Commander: 10

Fallen Empyrean: 5

 **Job Level**

Champion of Light: 10

Sword of God: 10

Life Giver: 10

Blind Judge: 5

Black Hand: 5

Etc: 20


	3. The New World Part 2 (rewritten)

Disclaimer: Seriously, I would have owned this if only I was rich, sadly I am not. So its not mine.

 **Title: Heaven or Hell?**

Chapter 3 - The New World 2

.

.

Stellarum Nex - Cathedral

.

"This is incredibly well-detailed."

"I am impressed at the way the Stellarum Nex was preserved, I mean-" the Fallen Angel touched a piece of masonry and felt its texture. It felt like the real thing, stone and concrete bonded together, just like what most churches were made of back in the Old World. But it looked like the way it used to be since the day they left it in stasis, "-even the old settings that I have made are still here."

"Indeed? Well, after you left I find it prudent not to make any changes on the things you have made," Momonga sighed, "It would be irreverent of me to even touch anything that you have made yours."

"Nonsense Guild Master," Sammael smiled at that, "This battle barge belongs to our guild, thus it is under yours. It was never only mine, it is ours Momonga-kun. OURS."

The Lich smiled and pushed open the large cathedral doors, they arrived at the Battle Barge with the rousing welcome of the 1st Legion of the Skitarii Legionnaires. After acknowledging and accepting the vow of fealty by the waiting army, they moved upwards into the main deck and headed for the large cathedral. Indeed, its block building designs and rising architectural towering Gothic spires invoke a sense of grandeur and awe, its visual design came from the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Old Paris before it was leveled by the civil war that broke out on France 100 years before their time. Its loss signaled the decline of human arts as primary resources needed to live became the most prized commodity.

For the argument is that, _'What use is a piece of art in the place of an empty stomach?'_

With such thoughts in mind, humanity devolved into mindless survival. Critical thinking, aesthetics and the pursuit of arts had been relegated to the fringes of human thinking as the masses deemed it unnecessary for survival. Yet, some strive to keep them preserved in the deepest hubs of learning, long forgotten data banks and in the minds of people stubborn enough to not let the last vestiges of human culture to die.

But the 'Cathedral' that is considered as the _'island'_ of this gigantic ship serves a different purpose other than worship. For past its manicured lawn and stone walls lie a curious piece of equipment, out of place from this place of worship are 2 sets of 40MM anti-aircraft guns manned by red robed Skitarii. As they passed every emplacement the operators stood up, saluted and sat back down again their eyes always facing outwards as silent sentries against an unperceived threat. Whether its pitch black or bright as the sun, these soldiers knew only to follow their orders to the letter. The Cathedral was on a raised floor so that the design made for more stone steps than what was previously used to enter the main nave. Additionally, the whole look of the ship is more like an aircraft carrier, its flat main deck, which is actually a sprawling garden looked majestic as it is. The garden simulated the fabled gardens of Marseilles Palace, a distant memory now due to being a smoking crater now back in the Old World because of the European Union Civil War.

Alas, such memories and settings are merely preserved now through the game such as Yggdrasil. And since their arrival at this New World, the ancient gardens has now been brought back to life. With mature trees that are unbelievably manicured, hedgerows neatly trimmed, and the greenest grass you could ever imagine. The whole walkway was white paved stones, neatly arranged and packed tightly. Statues lined the whole walkway as a few garden gazebos were placed here and there, in its center is a grand fountain with an angel statue in the middle. Standing on raised plinths and battered poles are numerous flags by the hundreds, lined neatly on the marble walkways, the flags are all damaged, some pockmarked with bullet holes, others slashed like flesh, while others sported one damage after another. Their liveries are all but faded and blacked by the battles they have endured, yet these symbols attest to the might of one of the top players from Yggdrasil.

The flags of the destroyed guilds back in Yggdrasil were all lined up neatly and in parade display, a strong show of complete power and supremacy.

From the top decks up to the lower levels, none can doubt its reason for existence, its sheer size and its capability for destruction has so far been unseen except those in the Old World that felt this monstrosity barreling down on their guild. Its size was larger than the largest ship in the 21st century, yet this ship was fully capable of autonomous movements even behind enemy lines. Even without hope for reinforcements, this ship could continue fighting from the air and to the ground by activating its Legions of Skitariis in its cavernous body. Its cavernous body housed numerous _manufactoras_ for making automatons and machines used during the _'Reliquary Crusade'._

The whole prow of the ship was designed with an eagle's head, its curved and powerful beak acting as a ram and its feathers glimmered in gold in the sun. Under the prow was a large swiveling cannon, the only weapon visibly shown at the onset of its image. Its head or top deck held a dome shaped building that has a retracting telescope that can peer beyond the horizon. The side of the ship bristled with weapons that can fire outward and downward, its sides was peppered with numerous gun and automatic cannon barrels.

The top deck or viewing deck is the largest open air space on the ship, it had no weapons at all.

But it boasted the best renaissance garden that the Old World had, the Garden of Marseilles with numerous gazebos and viewing decks could be seen as white marble obelisk lined the whole length of the walkway in regular intervals. Its sides were bordered by hedgerows, but beyond that is just armored plating and weapons of war. Though the obelisk adds to the aesthetics of the place, yet they were made an integral part of the ship as shield generators, they are connected to one of the hearts powering this ship. A powerful nullifying shield is constantly projected and only the most powerful spells can and will be able to penetrate such protections. Its camouflage as decorations is one of the reasons it cannot be defeated so easily, it is completely undetectable and unknown even to other Players of the Old World.

Further up at the end of the walkway was the raised deck where the main cathedral was housed. Great stone steps lead up to the famed Notre Dame Cathedral with its stone and arched roofs, but since this ship showcased the power of the Supreme Beings a statue of an angel that held a sword in front of it positioned at the ready, it held vigil atop its perch. An iron halo could be seen behind it as its wings was folded neatly behind it. Standing 30 feet tall, slightly shorter than any respectable sized statue, this statue had one purpose as the last Golem Champion in the static defenses of the Stellarum Nex in case it gets attacked and compromised. Just like the Demons of the Lemegeton on the Throne Room in Nazarick, Sammael opted for 1 Angel that is slightly lower than his Angel Generals in level, skill and power.

A grand fountain sat in the center of the Cathedral as the grand staircase seemed to ' _embrace_ ' itself or encircle itself around the Fountain of Marseilles. Divided into 10 abreast and 20 to the line, the Custodes or the Golden Army commanded by Sammael himself formed smartly on the garden deck. Holding their magic glaives and sporting glittering plate armor, they were level 75 automatons that can only number in the 300. Superior from Death Knights and possibly more than a match against a horde of Death Cavaliers, they are limited by their small numbers, but though they are usually outnumbered they are never outgunned with a variety of their weapons and skill proficiency. They are considered level 90 difficulty as they are immune to magic up to Tier-8 and can cast Tier-3 to Tier-5 magic depending on their rank.

Sammael primarily used them to overwhelm his target and combined with his Heavenly Choir Summoning, no guild reactionary force could ever break through them.

Going to the side of the ship, one can easily see large openings on its side. Openings that are simply too large to be used as passageways, so massive were these openings that you could fit double-decker buses stacked on top of each other with plenty of room to wiggle on every opening. The large openings were actually to compensate for the large caliber guns that nestled silently inside the belly of the ship. Sammael took the design of the _Schwerer Gustav_ , or the gigantic Nazi railway gun that used to pound Paris in the 2nd World War. Barrels larger than a house must be swung to the port or starboard side depending on the direction of their attack, such a weapon was only used before against the most sturdy of their enemies and it did not fail to deliver the decisive blow against such assaults.

Directly below the Cathedral was the most armored part of the ship, numerous armor plates and warded by both runes and magic, its sealed vaults housed the numerous still living hearts of the leviathans that they hunted to power their enormous Skybarge.

Stored within the vaults are the hearts of a Tarrasque a legendary monster of mythical fortitude, a Jormungand serpent's heart, the Heart of a Lava Leviathan, even the heart of a monster from the _West_ named _Jeeroy Lenkins_.

The whole battle barge was kept afloat by magical stones they gathered on the Mines of Nicea, it took two weeks of intense mining and defending their claim to procure the amount needed to support such a large vehicle. The magical stones they gathered was the only thing that kept the large ship floating in the air, feeding it as much mana as they could muster from the stored hearts, propulsion and weapon usage is achieved in the same manner that they would on keeping it floating in midair. So, it was essential to keep the hearts inside the heaviest armored section of the ship.

"The design of this ship is really something huh?"

"It has served its purpose, to punish the enemies that have wronged Ainz Ooal Gown, and make war on anyone that dared raised its hands against us," a nostalgic smile graced the face of the Fallen, "... and made war it did."

They passed the glittering fountain as they headed for cathedral, "Although the hardest battle that I have had was with the Pirate Lords since it was my first battle and I didn't think I would succeed, then of course there was the self-righteous jerks of the Holy Spirit-"

"EHhh?! Y-you fought one of the Trinity Alliance?!" Momonga was so surprised his passive skill kicked in and his emotion was forcibly suppressed, "What were you thinking?"

The Trinity Alliance is the largest guild or rather an Alliance of guilds in Yggdrasil. Its core consisted of three large guilds, the _Father_ , the _Son_ , and the _Holy Spirit_. The latter was the smallest and technically, one of the weakest of the three. But its individual power was still considerable and could potentially rival their own, thankfully, the Trinity did not join the assault on Nazarick. And to think the Fallen Angel would be crazy enough to assault that guild- wait a minute.

"How did you even manage to fight one of the Trinity?"

Sammael shrugged his shoulders and cocked his head, "Well, they were one of the last guilds that I attacked. I had reliable information that most of the _Messiah's Artifacts World Item_ were in the hands of the Holy Spirit guild for a friendly war with a rival guild. I took the chance and while they were responding to another skirmish- I simply ambushed them."

" _Messiah's Artifacts_? They put up that update to hype up the Christmas Sale right?" Momonga rubbed his bony chin in contemplation as he remembered that event, "Pity that I only got a consolation prize item that day."

"You got a consolation prize?"

"Ah, yes. I was logged in on Christmas Day... I got the _Mask of Jealousy."_

"Any reason why called an item as such?"

"Maybe because it was Christmas and were like lonely or jealous cause others have someone on their arms, while we're doing nothing but gaming and such... well, you know."

"Right. Umm... any special effects?"

"It cost at least 30 gold in the shops."

"A real consolation prize huh?"

"Yep. Anyways, how did you come by the information that you used to raid guilds?"

"Remember I told you I was in the JSDF?"

Momonga nodded, "Yes, you did mention it. You were a platoon commander right?"

"I was. One of the youngest of the Ranger School- but I had some friends in the Security Department."

"W-what? From the Public Security Intelligence Agency?"

"Yep, most in-game information gets forwarded to them since its the law anyway, after I get the IP address I begin surveillance where they log-in and get most of the information from there- mostly its just their routine, and from that make an outline of the personality and how they would react when in a simulated battle like in Yggdrasil."

"I see..."

"Cheer up Momonga-kun, I was prancing around in the desert at night during that time too."

"Hmm, well, at least it felt good now winning that consolation prize."

Momonga tried not to think too much of it, but knowing that his friend did his best to actually preserve the guild and- shit! That would explain the panic that happened when word got out that one of the Holy Trinity was attacked by an independent player. It was rumored that it attacked with such ferocity that the normally powerful and untouchable guild members were forced back and tasted defeat. It was like fighting with a brilliant tactician as they threw everything at the attacker, the guild was reportedly not destroyed since the Guild Master was believed to have safely teleported away. But it could not be denied that the attacker somehow triumphed, but they were unable to prevent the intruder in ransacking the Treasury of their guild base taking all the World Items and then some of the treasures and valuable items in it.

A black plated armor Angel bowed in front of them as its weapon, a scythe that was larger and longer than a man was rested on his shoulder, "My Lords, what is our course of action? Do we march to battle?"

The Fallen Angel smiled at that, "I applaud your drive and diligence Leliel however, we are facing a crisis that we have not encountered thus far in our own world."

"Though first and foremost, I believe we should establish with visual confirmation where the heck are we?"

"Agreed," the Overlord interjected, "Maybe we can stretch our legs outside?"

"Though we did sent the 8-edged assassins, going outside is still prudent, so we can correctly assess the situation."

Momonga rubbed his chin and said, "Though I am concerned though, if we go out then the Nazarick guardians could be disrupted with their own work."

"You are right," Momonga agreed and looked appreciatively at the four Angels surrounding them, "These 4 seemed not too uptight, they are not too distracted by our presence, they show respect in their own way."

"Yes, I suppose it is in the way I made them. Warriors are much more appreciated by showing respect, but ever at the ready for any battle-" Sammael nods his head and walked towards the fountain, "-I suppose you are correct in a way. Let us disguise ourselves then- wait why don't we just have the sky barge outside for a spin?"

"Considering its size, I may need a few minutes to have it ready. Can you tell me when you reached the surface world? I'll just join you outside."

"Very well," the Elder Lich nodded and blinked out of existence to go back to Nazarick, as soon as they were alone Sammael then turned to his angels and smiled, "How are you my Generals?"

Azrael, Baraqiel, Leliel, Zadkiel all bowed in unison and looked up at him with such devotion and loyalty it did not fail to rival those of the Nazarick Guardians.

"We are all well My Lord and Master."

"-it is like but a moment when we last saw you."

"Indeed My Lord, our victories were numerous and shall be much more in this world."

"We shall serve you, forever."

Sammael felt an unknown emotion well up inside him, "Excellent, make the preparations to move the sky barge. Momonga and I would be moving out."

Majestically he flapped his large inverted wings as he headed to the large cathedral with his Angel Generals behind him.

.

.

Tomb of Nazarick - a few hours later

.

Momonga made his way to the 1st Floor with difficulty. He had alrady passed numerous guards and NPC soldiers, so far none have attacked him yet. Considering he was garbed in a full plate of black armor that he conjured with his magic not with his usual jet black mage robes, it is a surprise none have challenged him with his identity, or it could be that they automatically know its him. Regardless, he still had difficulties shaking off the first obstacle in the face of the maid Narberal Gamma, he managed to convince her that this is for the good of the tomb and she finally relented after much convincing.

Though he was having great success, on the threshold of the 1st Floor though he encountered a somewhat _'insurmountable barrier'._

That _'insurmountable barrier'_ smiled from ear to ear, it was Demiurge that trailed him as he consented not to bring any guards, though he will accompany him personally.

"Momon-sama, oh pardon me- Black Warrior-sama, I was on the impression that Lord Sammael would go with us with this excursion."

"Oh, he will," he stepped outside and basked in the night light, it was a semi-clear sky and the stars are as numerous as the sand in the beach. Their light shone like a beacon as they stretched from horizon to horizon, a feeling welled up in his heart as the New World seemed to unravel before him. They were still admiring the view when it suddenly darkened and a large [ **Gate** ] opened above them.

A shimmering portal spreads outward and a glimmering eagle shaped prow of a large ship came out. The battle barge the _'Stellarum Nex'_ glided smoothly out of the portal and hovered above them, its massive weapon under the bow of the craft was only dwarfed by the ship's immense size. It was so large that the skies seemed to rumble as it passed overhead, they were quite high and the clouds parted apart with the large behemoth pushing through its cover. Momonga then took out a necklace with a wing pendant dangling on it as his body was suffused with mana. The demon-like Demiurge gasped in surprise, of course as Guardians they are aware and have knowledge of the bloody story made by the Supreme Beings in the Old World. But he was not aware that such a vessel appeared right before his eyes are directly controlled by his Lords.

It was simply overwhelming to see the stories have physical form as his face of masked calm was broken by a smile that stretched from ear to ear. Literally.

A power that can rival the Great Tomb, a Flying Fortress, truly this can only be the handiwork of the Supreme Beings. It is simply unfathomable.

"Hmm, if I remember correctly," the disguised Lich said as he activated the necklace's power, "[ **Fly** ]"

Momonga took off and quickly made a beeline towards the floating ship, from afar he could see the numerous automatons working in the exposed decks of the ship. He could see that although there are no specific targets for their wrath, it does not mean that they would not prepare and keep their alert levels quite high. And he could honestly say that- he suddenly stopped and carefully read the slogan he saw stenciled on the side of the deck.

 _' **NEMO MEO POENA EFFUGIT**.' _

Momonga landed softly on the armored deck as he dusted himself off lightly, his blood red cloak billowing behind him and the latin script carrying weight in his mind. But his mind was cleared of such thoughts when he beheld the whole main deck, now when they were in the 'special space' that hid the Battle Barge it was already beautifully detailed, but now that they could see the ship outside. It was just mind-boggling, a ship made in such a grand scale and in such wonderful detail. The garden actually had budding flowers on them, and the roman columns and obelisk had carvings on them, like hieroglyphs or such other lost language. The paved stone walkway in the middle of the garden was actually weathered stones and they looked old and period correct ones.

He couldn't believe it, they were actually simulating a museum back in Yggdrasil.

"Momonga-kun, are you done admiring the stones?" Sammael smiled and looked dumbfounded at his friend, "You look great, though what in the world is with that get-up?"

"Yes, I am done admiring the stones, and this-" he raised his hands and his armored clanked together, "-this is my disguise, Demiurge-" he turned to the Guardian then, "-will explain further."

Demiurge who turned into his demonic form eagerly bowed his head and said, "I am honored to think I have penetrated just a tad of your schemes Momonga-sama, but let me explain what I have barely garnered from my observation."

"Dark Warrior-sama wishes to surprise the Guardians and try to evaluate our work without us making obvious that he is watching," the Guardian declared proudly, "Truly, I can only see the most obvious reasons shown before me. I can only hope to understand your thoughts further, perhaps after a hundred years?"

"Your too hard on yourself Demiurge," Sammael looked on Momonga and screamed in his mind, " _Dark Warrior-sama? What the hell was that!?"_

 _"Give me a break, he accosted me while I was on the 1st Floor! Didn't we made him Defense Commander of Nazarick?"_

 _"Yes."_

 _"Well, he elected to send his Demon Generals themselves and accompanied them,"_ Momonga looked defeated, _"I managed to keep them from overreacting, but then he popped out of nowhere._

 _"Hah. You're hopeless-"_ Sammael tried not to chuckle at that as they walked towards the fountain again, he then turned to the side and said aloud, "Engage vertical thrust to 50%, hold flight and hover at 15,000 ft. Begin scanning area of at least the immediate area for any hostiles."

"Affirmative my Lord," the angel Azrael bowed and then turned away to head to the main Cathedral where the bridge is located. Within a few moments, both of them felt the ship rise and the stars moving from their vision. Higher and higher the large craft ascended until it bursts out of the cloud cover and all can see only a sea of clouds illuminated by the stars and the full moon. The sky here had such a clarity to it that they seemed to formed a highway of light on the most concentrated part of it. No smog, pollution, artificial lights, and all the nasty things that humans made could have dampened their view.

"Sammael?"

"Yeah?"

Both felt a welling of emotion in their hearts as they looked up into the heavens, it was so much that the Overlord's passive buff of emotion suppression was triggered to activate. He felt regretful as the sudden wash of calming magic failed to remove the small pang of irritation he felt. What is wrong with a little surge of emotions? Why can't he just feel human, at the very least just this one time.

"All of them would certainly liked it here."

"Yes," thought broken, he replied numbly taking care to keep his emotion in check, "Peroroncino would love the sky, his wings would have so much freedom to use them."

"HeroHero and Punitto Moe would have loved the maids they made," Sammael smiled at the memory. If only a few more of their friends could have joined them. Unknown to him, Momonga was having the same thoughts as him. The former mentioned was logged-in that day, if he could have at least asked him to stay for a few minutes more until the server shut down, then maybe just maybe he would be standing with them right now. But he could not have forced him to come and stay with him, and would he allow himself the selfishness of trapping his friend with him in this New World. Sammael though is a different story, they both did not know what they were situation would be in if they kept logged-in until the server shutdown.

"This world is truly beautiful-"

"-agree," Momonga looked up to the heavens and sighed, "Like a box of jewels, of precious sparkling gems, or the purest of golds."

"Treasure?"

"Indeed."

A small croak as Demiurge cleared his throat to speak, the Angels of the Warmaster behind him, "My Lords, if you shall will it. The whole of the Great Tomb and the _'Stellarum Nex'-_ " he turned to the Angels who agreed with his statement with a nod, "-then we would all grind ourselves to dust, to move heaven and earth, and lay at your feet such a prize that you seek."

Sammael, the Warmaster of Nazarick gave a small laugh, "Demiurge, you speak of World Domination do you? Well Momonga? What do you think of it?"

"World Domination?" vague memories of a classic game they had played called _'Age of Empires'_ came to his mind, "It could be interesting if nothing else."

The servants of the Overlord and the Warmaster kept silent, but their minds churned the words spoken by the Supreme Beings. The Masters are interested with World Domination, neither of the 2 of them knew that such words spoken in a jovial setting would initiate machinations of a colossal undertaking that would engulf Kingdoms beyond the borders of the Great Tomb. Azrael looked at the demon Demiurge and kept silent, out of the 8 Heavenly Host, he was the wisest, like the servant of the Tomb, his mind also churned at the words of their creator.

World Domination? Interesting? Interest. Purpose. Righteous Master. Righteous Purpose.

Azrael nods his head as Demiurge also saw the clarity in his eyes. The 2 Supreme Beings did not know yet as they surveyed the ship, but the same objectives would have 2 different paths to attain it. From the sky, they could see great mounds of earth being moved below around the white stone walls of the Great Tomb. The Tomb itself is located in the middle, a short rectangular white marble roofed edifice that served as their base. The soil heaved and formed into a circle, it separated, split, joined, and split again. Over and over as if seeing what seemed to be the best form, like a potter kneading the clay on his hands, it looked like there was a giant hand kneading a small hill on its hand. Slowly, partitions solidified and took symmetrical shapes, steadily it turned out shapes and took the look of a gigantic maze, no doubt Mare taking the suggestions of Cocytus to heart.

"Azrael," Sammael turned to his Angel and spreads his inverted wings, "Def-Con 3."

The _Helper of God_ banged on his breast plate and submissively bowed his head, "As you command Warmaster."

Sammael smiled and jumped off the side of the ship, Momonga sighed at that softly muttering about 'Special Forces huh?' and also jumped off after his friend. Demiurge turned to his counterparts, gave a small bow of farewell and jumped after the Overlord. The Angels took one last look at the figures that were steadily growing smaller as they shifted their weapons and headed back to the Cathedral.

Baraqiel shifted his weapon on his back and shook his head, "I know this is treasonous, and we are both working in the service of our Warmaster and the Overlord, but damn me, I really don't like the feeling of that guy."

"Calm yourself, our alignment tends to drive us against our brethren on the Great Tomb, but I assure you that we are all servants. They have pledge their lives, though cursed and misguided they may be, but they are our fellow creations. Our equals if no less then our peers then, slightly heavy on the karma side though."

"Tell me about it Brother Leliel, your karma is borderline heresy, but I feel no hostility against you."

The addressed Angel, Leliel chuckled at that, "You feel no hostility because I saved your butt against the skirmish at the Ettenmoors."

"Dear heavens that story again," Baraqiel turned to a side stairwell and began to head down, "Well, I do believe we need to keep our Companies in order since we are at Def Con 3?"

"Indeed," Leliel turned to a right doorway as he headed to the lower decks, "I'll prepare the gear of the Custodians, just in case the Warmaster needs them."

Azrael can only look on as his other brothers dispersed leaving him in command of the _'Stellarum Nex',_ he headed for the stairs up to the threshold of the Cathedral Door and turned back to view the outside of the New World once more. They were bred for war, and make war they will, in due time of course.

"World Domination huh?" the _Helper of God_ opened the fortified Cathedral Doors and walked inside, "I'm pretty sure the other 4 would have liked that."

.

Meanwhile

.

Sammael flapped his inverted wings once and immediately slowed his free fall, with familiar ease he glided down to the ground on his own power. It seemed unnatural at first to be able to fly, but now that he was the one doing it, then he would just need to think about it and his body would do it. A bit sluggish maybe since he was still following the commands of his brain not yet familiar with the movement of flight, but in due time and with great practice comes excellent flight. As he and Momonga landed near the area were Mare was conducting his work, he could see that there were many doors and passages on the walls itself. Though made from earth and soil, it held extremely well. Probably since they were made with magical means and was compacted in such a way to rival that of a stone fortification, but at the moment this will be enough. He had instructed that the walls of the maze surrounding the Tomb of Nazarick will be riddled with a network of tunnels where the undead and the 1st level guarders can spawn about and defend the area. Since the swampy graveyard where the tomb once was located is now gone, they had to vacate the entrance and put the old guarders there. Spreading them out on the peripheral of the 'white wall' itself, Mare cleverly used his druid magic to make vegetation grow on the mounds, walls, even the ground to further the camouflage of the Tomb. It cannot be denied that he had poured himself to the task of constructing this earthen defenses for the Great Tomb.

Mare was still mumbling his spells and pouring mana towards the growing of the vegetation when he felt the approach of 2 powerful individuals. He stopped and turned at their direction and almost peed himself with nervousness when he saw the Supreme Beings approaching him.

Nervously, he pulled himself together and dusted himself off from the dirt and dust that marred his white sailor uniform. Sammael smiled warmly at his approach as Momonga looked at him with concern.

[ **Message** ]

 _"Kawaii-desu!"_

 _"Hey now-"_

 _"-and here he comes. Ah, so cuteee~"_

 _"Would you control yourself please- your so obvious!"_

 _"Hehe shows how well you know me Momonga-kun, though I cannot effectively suppress my emotions which I have been wondering for some time now."_

 _"Could it be due to a racial trait?"_

 _"Maybe, though I am not sure it does apply to us. I mean, look at you, I'm alive and you do not hate me."_

 _"You do have a point-"_

They both stopped as Mare reached where they stood and looked up at them expectantly, "Sssammael-sama and Mmomonga-sama too! Why are you both outside-"

"Is it not obvious Mare?" Demiurge finally caught up with the Supreme Beings as he reverted back to his humanoid face, "They wish to check if we are doing the exact things that we were ordered to do."

His cheeks blushed bashfully as he replied, "I-I see... I am glad to know that I was able to satisfy our Lords"

"Hmm..." the 2 Supreme Beings looked around some more and scrutinized every details of the grounds surrounding the Great Tomb of Nazarick. Earthen walls 100 square meters wide and honeycombed with numerous holes and trap doors filled with rooms with undead skeleton troops are lodged left and right. Just waiting to be triggered, cleverly hidden by the vegetation that Mare made. Some lead to dead ends or a spawning point for an undead soldier, or a whole army could come forth, even a small pile of bones could trigger a transformation into a Death Knight or something worse depending on the luck of the person who might sprung the trap. The static defenses of the Great Tomb looked exactly like the vision of the Fallen Angel had in mind, hills made of earth can only do so much to stop a charging cavalry company. But the fear of foot falls, wooden sticks sharpened to a point, and boar traps as large as 3 men tied together would be enough to deter even the most crazed General who would dare attack the Great Tomb.

It is exactly what Sammael had in mind, the Central area is where the Nazarick old guarders would be stationed, its gates defended by high-level undead. Beyond the white walls that make up the perimeter of the Great Tomb are walls of compacted earth and soil, magically bound and set, it was further fortified by numerous low-level undead patrolling the numerous turns and dead ends. Ideally though, if he would get his way, then he would make a star fort instead and then fortify it further with machine gun nest and sniper positions, while crisscrossed with tunnels so sappers and flamethrower soldiers can wreak havoc on the attacking force. But they had to work with the undead so, well pretty close at least.

"This is excellent work Mare-"

The dark elf child bowed respectfully, his cheek coloring, "T-Thank you for the praise Momonga-sama."

"-as such I find it fitting to give you a reward," the Overlord took something from his 'pocket inventory' and held the said item in front of the young boy, "Take it Mare."

It was a Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown, its golden band sparkled with the purest gold, and its large red stone was set perfectly as it sparkled with magic. A powerful ring indeed for it allowed passage through the whole 10 floors within the Great Tomb of Nazarick instantly without needed to go to a dimensional gate.

"EeehhHH!?" recognizing the item thrusts in front of him immediately, he could only stutter and mutter out broken words, shocked at the gift waiting for him, "Mmomonga-sama, Sssammael-sama! I-I could not possibly take this... I am unworthy to wear something only given to the Supreme Beings."

Momonga shook his head and looked into the young boy's eyes, "You have worked so hard and poured much of not just your magic but in dedication to what was instructed of you. Am I not a venerable master to grant you a gift when you at least deserve it?" , _'It might also screen us from you all knowing the truth about us being just regular guys, trying to fake it till you make it. Hope Sammael takes the cue...'_

"Indeed, what kind of Masters would we be if we cannot even appreciate those that strive in our name," Sammael nods his head in agreement as he continued to talk Mare into accepting the gift, "Plus, it would be bad manners to not accept a gift that is given as a reward for merits that one deserves."

Both Sammael and Momonga's eyes met knowingly, a thumbs-up forming in their minds.

 _'Nice follow-up Sammael-kun!'_

 _'...ehehehe... (^-^)'_

Mare gathered his courage and slowly took the ring from Momonga's outstretched hand, "...t-then please excuse me My Lord," he puts the over sized ring on his dainty finger and the jewel automatically adjusted by magic so it became a snug fit on his ring finger, "I-it's beautiful Momonga-sama, Sammael-sama. I-I pledge that I will work hard to be worthy for such a gift from you."

"That is wonderful to hear from you Mare."

He admired his ring a few moments more until his inquisitive eyes looked up to Momonga and his majestic magical armor, "F-forgive me for asking Momonga-sama, b-but why are you dressed like that?"

A please voice replied, "Is it not obvious Mare...~" it was Albedo and she made her way gracefully to their location. Her platinum webbed dress was somewhat dirty and her pristine gloves had the odd patches of dirt on it. But other than that she looked perfect in every way and still stunningly beautiful. The dress accentuated her curves, and her golden eyes seemed like molten pools of gold that would have sucked in any lesser men. If he would be in the Old World, then 'something' would have saluted already.

"Albedo, you have found us."

"Of course Momonga-sama," she said it as if it was a universal fact, "My being would always, always gravitate wherever your presence would be and I will-" the sudden expression on her face made the Overlord and the Fallen Angel both take a step back.

 _"What the hell was that?"_

 _"Did her face just bend the light? Impossible!"_

 _"I feel an ominous aura. Momonga-kun, you can certainly save this situation if you act now."_

 _"Huh? What do you mean?"_

 _"Do you still have another Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown?"_

Momonga cleared his non-existent throat with a cough as Albedo's eyes fixed him with her lovely smile, "Umu... Albedo as Guardian Overseer, it is only fitting that you utilize tools to effectively run your office right? With that in mind-" he withdrew a ring from his pocket dimension and presented it to Albedo, "-I give you this ring, please, do take care of it."

As if accepting gift from a God herself, Albedo silently and reverently bowed and took the offered ring with her two hands. She held the ring close to her chest and did not raise her head to look at the Supreme Beings. Sammael then nods knowingly to Momonga as they hear him say, "Demiurge, I shall personally hand you, your own ring some other time."

The Guardian bowed low and respectfully said, "I am honored to be considered worthy of such a gift, I will strive ever forward to be truly worth of such a gift from My Lords."

"Umu! Excellent work all of you, serve Nazarick well, and you shall be rewarded as we see fit!"

With those final words both Momonga and Sammael blinked out of existence as they teleport back inside the bowels of the Great Tomb. They failed to notice though that Albedo remained bowed even after accepting her gift of Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown. She did not dare raise her head as a maniacal smile seemed chiseled on her normally beautiful face.

Absolute happiness and bliss, bordering insanity and deranged affection.

Her shoulder shook uncontrollably as the other 2 Guardians took a step back as she raised the Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown on both hands above her head screaming in elation, her powerful aura washing like a tide as her wings flapped in triumph while shouting.

"MARRIAGEEEE!"

.

.

Great Tomb of Nazarick - 10th floor

.

The ceiling seemed to shake as Momonga looked up sheepishly, vaguely hearing a woman's faint voice shouting something about a 'carriage' or some other word he could not understand. He then turned to the other occupant of the room with him, Sammael had a grin on his face and was giving him an odd stare.

"What?"

"Nothing," the Angel said sheepishly.

"What do you mean nothing? There is nothing about you saying ' _nothing_ '."

"AH! Like I said you do know me too well," the Fallen knew a conversation was coming so he shouted above them, "Leave us."

"As you wish My Lords."

From the ceiling 8 edged assassins dropped down and hurriedly made their escape, from the darkened corners of the room a steady stream of darkness, a whole legion to be exact of shadow demons seemed to pour out as other NPC's that were guarding the Throne Room also moved from their places and left the 2 rulers of Nazarick to their own devices. As soon as the doors banged shut, Momonga released the spell for the magical armor he conjured. With his black robes billowing behind him, he sat down on the gilded throne and looked up to the ceiling, he could see the flags of his own former members as they fluttered in the artificial wind inside the room.

"So, what are we going to do now?"

The Fallen sat down on one of the steps up to the Throne and said, "I am convinced that we are not in any immediate danger however, we are in desperate need of information."

"That is true, so then let us consolidate what we know first then- this world is definitely not Yggdrasil 2 nor do I believe this is a game."

"Well, so far I do agree that this is a real world. With real life consequences in case we decided to muck up everything for everyone," Sammael pointed out, "Considering there is an 'everyone' to even talk about."

"How do you say so?" Momonga's glowing red orbs dimmed a bit as he looked down at Sammael's head, "Is it because the NPC's are more emotional and more willful than the game? And though they follow the basic settings and mind set that their maker's have made for them, I find that they are non-linear in their responses."

Sammael nods his head, "Indeed, their answers are flexible and as you said, non-linear. They respond to whatever we do, or order, or sometimes imply, giving credence to the thought that they are thinking for themselves and have the capacity to be engaging."

"Plus their lips are moving."

"That too! I mean we were reliant on real world mics to transmit what we had to say for short distances and message boxes for long distances," the Fallen looks up at Momonga and pointed out, "Another good example about this being a New World is that when you molested-"

"MOLESTED!?" Momonga's powerful voice exclaimed indignantly.

"-very well then, _touched_ Albedo on her most squishy-"

"Ohh, don't say it like that," the Overlord's voice seemed to squeak at that, "-that sounds even weirder than it is!"

"Bite me, anyways, we both saw her reaction to your stimulant- her demeanor when she saw Mare's ring, even Demiurge's display of loyalty-"

"Yes let me talk to you about that," Momonga shook his head, "Why did you even make him rip his arm off?"

The Fallen grabbed his head and tried to shake away the bad memory, "Ugh! I was actually asking him like a dog, you know, when you ask your dog for a handshake? And which you eagerly wait for him to give his paw to you, that was the result I was looking for! Not something that Jack the Ripper would do or some other horror stuff, that's just terrible and quite morbid if you ask me. But his loyalty is such that I cannot overlook such a sacrifice."

"If I was human then I would have ran out of that room screaming and howling, my psyche scarred forever, but in this body I just felt nothing," Momonga sighed heavily, "It felt normal and that gave me pause on what I have become."

Both knew the mental fatigue of seeing such horrific injuries on a human, tearing a limb is not simply done in a blink of an eye. But the Guardians are faithful, so faithful they would endure the most painful hurt to ensure the happiness of their Masters. A human's mind would have definitely been crushed by the sheer weight of seeing such brutality, a human's mind would have been scarred, forever tainted with the memory of that scene. But his undead body felt nothing, no fear, no pain, no emotions whatsoever with the macabre sight they endured awhile ago.

"So, what do we do now?"

The Fallen stroked his chin in thought, "Is there no spell we can use for scouting the surrounding area, no tool to utilize to get the same results as you intended it to be?"

"Well, how about the 8th floor Area Guar-"

"-Nigredo? No. Not yet."

"Why? She has the most extensive divining skill and one of the most powerful of our detectors, why not?"

Momonga once more shook his head, "The information we need is extensive, her vision is somewhat twisted in the sense that it runs parallel to her own insanity. Ugh! Trust in Tabula to make such a horrifying woman, and such contradiction in one person. Plus, I am not sure if the way to deal with her is still the same."

"You mean the dolls?" Sammael looked confused, "Did you made any changes on her settings?"

"Of course not, I wouldn't make changes on anything our friends made."

"But you changed Albedo's settings?"

"ARGH! Your the one who did it!" Momonga pointed at him accusingly.

"Oh, I did?"

"Don't pull the amnesia play on me again, anyways, I am not sure it works that way like before."

"Hmm, didn't we have an item of the same abilities?" the Fallen fell deep into thought as he remembered the good old days in Ygdrassil, he was remembering the time they were still engaged with the other guilds on the day-long siege that resulted in the win for the Ainz Ooal Gown kids, "Didn't we have Mirror of Remote Viewing?"

"Ah! Of course!"

"Where did you last put it?"

"At the lounge."

"Let's go then."

They made their way towards the sitting room or the lounge of the Supreme Beings, they opened the door and began to search for the mentioned item. They found the mirror hanging on a wall hidden behind two curtains. Momonga pulled it over to him as the mirror hovered steadily in front of him. It shimmered and blurred until finally the reflected image cleared with a bird's eye view of the forest and its nearby area.

"Hmm, that is an excellent view of prime real estate- is that a national park?"

"Would you just shut up-" Momonga's bony hands moved left and right, up then down, trying to see how to focus the view on a specific sight, "-this is already hard as it is."

"What do you mean it's hard? Let me try," Sammael approached and took over, "Well, shit! It is hard to move around... but I think this works just like an android tablet."

Gesturing to the mirror like one would do on an android tablet, he began to learn how to zoom in and move the view left and right. He found out that the view itself can be manipulated, like a 3D hologram, only in 2D, oh well he was doing pleasantly well so it seemed they were on the right track. He twisted his hand again and it zoomed out and covered a large area of the forested area nearby.

"Great job Sammael-kun."

"Thank you," the Fallen Angel smiled, "I am glad to be of service to you Momonga-sama."

The Elder Lich rolled his glowing eyes, "Ugh, please don't emulate the NPC's. You don't know how they make me feel so tired."

Sammael chuckled evily, "Kidding aside, this is pretty useful and I think- wait, is that smoke?"

"Hmm, you're right-" Momonga slid beside him and looked down on the mirror, "Could you try to zoom into it?"

He gestured to the mirror as it slowly zoomed into the smoke they saw from a distance. The view finally changed and they saw a small village or a hamlet where a great excitement seems to be happening. It looked liked a festival at first, but they saw armored and fully armed soldiers breaking down doors and dragging unarmed villagers outside. Some smacking other villagers with their armored gauntlets, or bashing and pushing them down with shields. Momonga looked indifferently while Sammael's face was livid.

"Why are they killing these people?"

"Leave them be, we must not interfere with the affairs of this world, especially since we have no intelligence or information on what is happening-" Momonga shook his head, knowing in his mind that the Angel wished to intervene, "We could inadvertently be caught in-between a war among nations. It could bring unnecessary risk to our guild."

It was Sammael's turn to shook his head and said, "Momonga-kun, remember, our friend Touch Me. We have power, we have the tools we can use, why should we let the innocents such as these to suffer? I cannot turn a blind eye."

"I understand, but the guild-"

"-the guild was built by decent persons, and common decency should not be sacrificed for an unforeseen threat against the guild," Sammael stood up and grabbed something from his inventory, "I am a soldier, I have committed acts unbecoming of a human for my country. But I will not allow the suffering of the innocent, especially if I have the resources and the power to help."

The Elder Lich grinned under his hood, "So, Nazarick would be sorting out. As Warmaster, what is our course of action then?"

"Well, how do you confront these kinds of people? We do this the same way as before, a blitz on the front-"

"-and sweep all enemies under," Momonga banged the end of his staff on the floor as he called out, "Sebas!"

The white haired butler that was made by Touch Me bowed beside him, a stoic face looked seriously back at the Overlord as he awaited orders.

"Sebas, alert Demiurge at once to increase the defense alert level of the whole Tomb to the highest, me and Sammael-kun have found a disturbance and we shall head out together-" the Fallen Angel opened a [ **Gate** ] as Momonga began making final preparations for their sortie, "Additionally, send Albedo to me fully armored and armed. She will be my companion for this sortie."

Nodding his head respectfully, Sebas's heart swelled at the compassion his Lords showed the humans. Truly the teachings of his creator still rang from their hearts and minds, "Although it pains me to see you go out again My Lords, alone and without me beside you. I must convey your orders to the Guardians and make haste the preparations for your support. I wish you good hunting and for a triumphant return."

"Umu, we shall head out now Sebas-"

"Sebas," the butler turned to the Fallen, "Please tell Zadkiel that he shall be my companion and tell him to make haste."

"Understood my Lord, " he bowed again, "Once more, good hunting to you all."

.

.

Carne Village

.

Enri Emmot could not understand what was happening, they are a peaceful rural village. They have nothing of noteworthy, aside from the occasional livestock being stuck in the swampy parts of the forest, there was nothing happening in her village worth mentioning. Her village enjoyed a peaceful existence as no monsters dared attack their dwelling since the inception of the village. This was probably due to the Wise King of the Forest being this part of his territory, the only product though worth mentioning and selling to the city were the numerous rare herbs that grew plentiful inside the Great Forest of Tob.

But this event rend apart their idyllic village life.

These armored knights from the Baharuth Empire, with their swords, spears, shields and bows slaughtered and visited them a great amount of violence. The brutality that they have descended upon them was unreal, she saw her mother being cut down trying to hold off their attackers as she and her sister escaped. Their father, bless him, also died protecting them by holding off 3 or maybe it was more soldiers as they ran for the forest. She half-carried, half-dragged her crying sister in her arms as she ran towards the forest. She must continue, her survival is the survival of her sister, she must live. Her tired feet propelled her forward as she heard the sounds of armored feet chasing after her. A strong grip grazed her shoulder and an overwhelming pain streaked across her back. Enri momentarily blacked out as she fell down and Nemu rolled out of her arms.

A dull shaking woke her up as she gazed up at the crying face of her sister. Her vision cleared as she saw two knights circling about her, their intentions clear, smiling sadistically at her pain. Given, she was incomparable to the ladies in the capital, but she was a fine lass. Barely out of her teen years, she sat up and instantly felt the throbbing pain shot up behind her.

"Enri-nee! Enri-nee!" her sister Nemu wailed, "Are you okay?"

"D-don't worry... I can manage-" she turned to the soldiers who were twirling their swords playfully, "P-please sirs... we are merely farmers and herbalist... spare us."

"Spare you? Sure, we'll spare you the trouble of knowing how much we would enjoy your body."

"But don't worry about your sister, she can keep us company for the night."

The sadistic grin of the soldiers showed behind their helms as a fresh wave of terror swept through her body. One of the armored soldiers raised his swords aiming for Enri's head, swinging down she reflexively puts her arm up to defend herself and covered Nemu with her body. But the strike did not come, instead she heard a clatter and a scream coming from the soldiers. Forcing open her eyes she saw the soldier kneeling in front of her, his sword arm lay before her feet severed and still twitching.

It was quite surreal what she was seeing, _'What's going on?'_

A curved sword gleamed in front of her as the Knights looked at the stranger standing on the side, his weapon blocking their progress towards Enri.

"You DARE raise your swords against defenseless young girls?"

Both the Emmot siblings turned their heads as their savior, was it a human or a beastman, came out of nowhere. They didn't even hear their approach as he had already drawn his sword. His armor was rust colored and his face was covered in a war mask that hid his face, but his eyes were a golden that seemed to glow in the low light penetrating the trees. The stranger stood strong and powerful, he carried himself with the aura of a great commander, his fury against their plight undulating from him like a wave. His gauntlets were unlike anything that Enri had ever seen before, the most notable were the runes carved deeply into the heavy armaments he bears is a testament to the strength that he possess. A pair of inverted wings with glowing runes of energy adorned his back as his eyes smiled serenely at the two of them. He came to their rescue in such righteous fury that she just dismissed the severed hand of their former assailant right in front of them. The sisters looked at him with much adoration and hope, like a guardian angel came down from the heavens and deliver divine justice for them.

"Oh? You have gone ahead haven't you?"

"I can't help it, I'm working in a tight schedule."

"Indeed," they turned to the deep voice and both girls almost gasped in shock, "Well then, thank you for your consideration then [ **Grasp Heart** ]."

Two other soldiers dropped dead on Enri Emmot's feet as she gathered Nemu in her arms and shielded her from seeing the way this aberration killed humans. Her stomach churned and a cold dread swept through their bodies as a bone-chilling fear gripped their hearts at once. It was a skeletal face, adorned in the darkest robe that you could imagine, his panoply seemed to suck the surrounding light near it as the Angel smiled and shrugged its shoulders, "What can I say? When it comes to children... I can't help it."

"You always rush in," the Lich shook his head disapprovingly and looked down at the terrified girls, he rummaged through his pockets and fished out a blood red potion in a glass vial.

"Drink this."

"O-of course, I will drink it! But please don't hurt my sister!" Enri grabbed the vial of red liquid and prostrated in front of Momonga.

"-but elder sister!"

"No! Nemu!"

Momonga saw his reflection from the glass case containing the reddish liquid as he turned to Sammael knowingly, taking the cue, he knelt beside the sobbing sisters and soothed them with his voice, _"Do not fear us, for we would not hurt you. Are we not the ones who saved you from these soldiers~ Please, be healed and drink this potion~. You will come to no harm~."_

Sammael's voice took a sudden magical turn as the two sisters suddenly stopped sobbing and looked at him. Unlike the passive skill [ **Command Mantra** ], the angelic voice of the Fallen pulled at the heartstrings of anyone who heard it and positively urges them to do the will of the speaker. Enri and Nemu calmed down somewhat and accepted the blood red potion. Opening the stopper she gulped the concoction quickly and relief flooded her immediately. The pain from her back was washed away as her flesh mended itself, not even a trace of a scar could be seen on her as her wounds closed with magic. Nemu's eyes widened as her sister managed to recover in a blink of an eye, she touched her back and aside from the stain of blood on her back, there were no indications of any kind of wound on her back.

 _"See what I mean~."_

"Forgive us for doubting you," Enri turned to the Angel and the Lich and bowed respectfully with Nemu, "Thank you for saving us my Lords."

"Think nothing of it children, there is still much we have to do though."

"Indeed," Sammael sheaths his swords at this, "We must wait for our companions before proceeding."

"But before that I must try something first," he aimed the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown at the corpses of their dead knights. As he casts the spell, the cadavers were covered by a black substance similar to crude oil or tar to be exact. It consumed the bodies of the knights and quickly bubbled up to form a figure. Finally, within a few seconds the figure solidified and outcomes a Death Knight.

Standing almost 9 ft tall, the Death Knight was a level 35 summoned monster with the defense rate of a level 45 monster.

"It looks..." Sammael shrugged his shoulders and his wings also moved up and down. "...looks scary. As hell."

"I don't think it looks so bad."

"Imagine a human, walking through a dark alley, with this guy-" the Angel pointed to the Death Knight, "-standing in the middle. What normal human wouldn't be scared?"

"You do have a point."

"Please forgive our lateness My Lords," Albedo stepped out of the portal garbed in her full plate armor, covering her full body with enough space on her back to allow movement of her wings. She carried a pulsing green bardiche with ease on her right hand, she made a beeline towards the Elder Lich and bowed.

From behind the Guardian Overseer another entity stepped out clad in blood red armor with white streaks of trimmings on the sides, a winged helm hid his face and he carried a Staff of obvious power it crackled with power. His back carried a golden halo and his wings were folded behind his cape, he approached the other angel and bowed. Appearances were toned down as previously instructed by the Supreme Beings.

"Zadkiel," the angel General banged his gauntlet on his bracelet and bowed respectfully, "A pleasure to be at your service my Lord."

Sammael turned to Momonga and nodded knowingly, "Our companions are here, plus 1 summon. We cannot delay anymore, let us go."

"Wait," the Elder Lich turned to the two sisters and raised his bony hand, he felt power suffuse his arms and unleashed the spells he had on his mind.

[ **Anti-Life Cocoon** ]

[ **Wall of Protection from Arrows** ]

[ **Anti-Magic Shield** ]

He then threw two small horns at them and it landed softly on their feet, Enri stretched her hands and took hold of one and saw a horn made of a rough material with undecipherable writings on it.

"If ever you are in danger, blow the horns to summon a Goblin Troupe to your side. They will protect you with their life."

"Wait! Please, m-may we know the names of our saviors?"

The Fallen Angel turned and gestured to himself, "I am Lord Sammael, and this fine specimen of the undead is Ainz Ooal Gown!"

 _'What the flying frack are you saying now!?'_ Momonga screamed from within but kept himself together, "It is as he says, remember our names as the ones who saved your village!"

With that final word the party of four turned as one and headed to Carne Village. They were on the edge of the tree cover when Momonga stopped and sighed loudly. Sammael stopped moving and turned back to the newly rechristened Ainz Ooal Gown, "What now?"

"We need disguises."

"W-What do you mean disguises?"

"I mean look at me," the Overlord took out another red HP potion and shook his head, "They are afraid of me."

"Well, you are undead, of course, they would be afraid. But how will their perception change if we do not help them understand."

"Still, a disguise would make me feel better," Momonga opened his pocket dimension and retrieved a pair of heavy gloves and an unassuming mask.

Sammael's brow raised a bit, "What the hell is that?"

"This-" Momonga donned the gloves with Albedo's help as she pulled it tight against his bony frame, "-is the bloody Christmas consolation prize."

"Ah."

.

"Bring them all to the center of the village!"

The leader of the soldiers attacking the village shouted as his men half-carried, half-thrown the survivors into the middle of the village. The surviving children were herded under an open windmill as they looked back helplessly at their parents about to be murdered. With their swords gleaming in the sunlight, they marched off the villagers and began lining them up. Time is of the essence and they must be quick, their scouts report of light cavalry charging from the Re-Estize Kingdom's capital reached them as their attacks warranted the attention of an individual that is extremely troublesome in their eyes. They were all riled up and getting ready to execute everyone, but from the edge of the forest a curious vision appeared, an armored knight with the bearings of a commander strode forth followed by three other curiosities.

Directly following him was another armored warrior, or was it a mage, for it carried a magical rod that crackled with energy. Then another full plated warrior carrying a pulsing green bardiche, and then-

As one they looked at the last entity that stepped out, it was a magic caster that was covered in dark vestments. It carried a staff of power that seemed too powerful in their eyes it rendered them speechless. They didn't even notice the hulking giant behind the Lich as it towered all of them.

"Who are they?" he heard their leader whisper to him, he was a pompous man that was the son of a wealthy family and only reached his rank through his familial influence. "I do not recognize their dress or armor style-"

 _'You can't even recognize someone obviously more powerful than you.'_

"This is bad, they walked out from the cover of the trees with their head held up high," the team leader gripped his sword tighter, "My Lord, I think we should establish first who they are and their business here before taking-"

"Tch! What nonsense are you spouting? They are clearly outnumbered!"

 _'Can this idiot not feel it? Their armaments are top quality- and look at the size of them.'_

From afar, he could see the first armored individual was actually pointing at them. They focused on him and saw that his armor only covered half of his body. His right chest was brazenly open to the world and a way ward arrow could wound him carelessly. The gauntlets in his hand looked thick and heavily armored, an iron mask with two curved horns protruding on the head hid his face as an iron halo can be seen behind him resting on top his shoulders. From the sides, one of his soldiers raised his sword to begin the execution of the villagers when a bright light emanated from the warrior he was eyeing.

"What-"

His vision tilted as he saw his headless body kneeling down and spurting blood, the warrior that was easily 200 meters away from them closed the distance in a blink of an eye and then his head being easily decapitated. But there was no time to think about it, his eyes were darkening as he heard the screams and shouts of his comrades.

Sammael moved in a blink of an eye, in an instant his sword was drawn and his wings exploded in light. A sonic boom could be heard as he closed the 200 meters in less than a blink of an eye. He carried a heavily runed _'nodachi'_ called _Muramasa_ , and with practiced ease he swung it towards the standing enemy and took out half of them. A single slash compressed the air molecules so much it sliced everything where he swung his sword. Heads, limbs and torsos flew and rolled as a single slash blew up so much wind pressure the villagers were driven to the ground and the surviving soldiers tumbling down to their butts. Even a house who was unfortunately in the way was cleaved diagonally as the force of his sword swing penetrated flesh and stone alike. The force of the slash was so great it cleaved a hill in the distance throwing rocks and debris everywhere.

Momonga's passive reactivated as he gazed at the carnage, he casted a [ **Mass Fly** ] spell on them as they floated towards the villagers. The other angel with them opened his wings and flew towards his master, the other soldier stood on wobbly feet as their leader, the son of the noble family, kneeled in front of Sammael. The physical presence of the Angel was astounding, he stood 9ft tall and his shoulders were so broad it looked two men together could stand side by side to his size. The long blade of his weapon crackled with energy as he aimed the weapon at the noble's neck, his burning orange-yellow eyes gazed down at him with such fury and contained anger it almost threatened to consume him.

"P-please my Lord, mercy- mercy, I beg for mercy."

Sammael took a deep breath and looked at the shivering human. His voice held a great anger in check as he asked, "The villagers?"

"M-my lord?" the noble's son saw a ray of hope. The devilish mask spoke in a terrifying voice, but it spoke so it goes to say it understood reason. And reasonable people can be bargained with most of the time.

"The villagers have cried for mercy-" the burning eyes focused on him as he gasped for breathe, "Did you grant them mercy?"

"N-no... B-but-"

"Zadkiel, justice must be served," the other angel bowed and waited orders, "Purge this creature in front of me."

"I am of noble birth! You cannot do this to-" the cowardly leader of the soldiers lower jaw disintegrated as Zadkiel swung his staff with blinding speed. The appendage exploded without resistance, it happened so fast no human could have reacted to it. He was struck by the edge of the staff, but it was enough to obliterate half his face. The surviving soldiers were horrified as their leader was struck down without mercy as the still moving body tried to beseech them in its death throes.

"Die! Scum!"

But without his lips, tongue and jaw to control the sounds of speech, it came out as a nasal sound that was horrifying to hear. The human was on his death throes as he stepped towards Sammael in an obvious attempt to grovel at his feet. Zadkiel would have none of it, he stepped back and gripped the Rod of Arafel tighter.

"Do not approach Lord Sammael! You spineless-" the tip of his weapon glowed as he casts his spell, "-coward! [ **Banish** ]"

A beam of light erupted from the Rod of Arafel and quickly turned the noble into cinder, a humanoid ash that withered and crumbled as soon as the spell struck. The roiling winds swept it away as Sammael turned his attention to the surviving soldiers.

"Do you wish mercy?" all the soldiers threw their weapons down as Sammael nods, "Very well, you will all live. Zadkiel, we need more information, let them live."

"As you wish my Lord," the Angel Commander activated his passive and said, _"All soldiers you are commanded to sleep. Now~_ "

There was a clattering of armor and surprised gasps as the surviving soldiers toppled over, some even fell over some villagers. All surviving enemy soldiers slept soundly as Sammael turned to Zadkiel, "Move them to Nazarick, Neuronist Painkill could use some playthings for him- umm... her- ergh... itself right now."

"Yes, my Lord," Zadkiel bowed and opened numerous gates. The villagers stepped back and looked in fright as automatons began pouring out, humanoid in shape and form, yet all their appendages were augmented. Their face hidden under red and white cloaks, numerous automatons who moved with methodical precision. Skilled in ship repair, maintenance of basically magical items, and everything else that is needed to run a ship. An automaton that had his hood pulled back stepped in front of the Fallen Angel and bowed, his pasty white skin and glowing eyes due to augmentation kept everyone in silence as the hissing sounds from the breathing apparatus he wore cuts through the silence and his deep cybernetically enhanced voice chilled all humans who could hear its emotionless tone.

"My Lord Sammael, I am Magos Biologis number 4132- we have activated the 4th deck of the ship to accommodate the influx of prisoners we predicted you will brought forth. We were ordered to move them there and allow a special interrogator to take over later."

"Excellent Magos, do make sure that they are under and not awoken at all."

The Magos bowed low and covered his face with his hood, "We hear and obey, my Lord."

The villagers can only look on as the automatons or servitors hauled the sleeping soldiers away to a different dimension, their robes and cloaks covering their faces, yet their arms were covered in metal that doesn't look like gauntlets or rather their arms and hands are shaped or made with iron. Still awed at the power of their saviors and their soldiers they stood transfixed as the Angel turned to them and said.

 _"Be at ease~ All of you are saved~"_

Once again the villagers felt at ease and began to gather and look around for their surviving family, it was still tense, but unlike the atmosphere from before, life returned to the eyes of everyone. An elderly man in a dirtied simple tunic approached and removed his hat, "I am this village's Chief, may we know the name of our saviors?"

The shout of relief from parents having their children back in their arms sounded as the disguised Lich approached and declared, "I am Ainz Ooal Gown, and we have saved your village that is true. But we have not done it for free."

"I see," the Chief felt a lurch in his stomach, out of the fire in to the frying pan it seems.

"Be at ease though," the black magic caster waved his hands reassuringly, "We are not after monetary compensation."

 _'That's good- I am not sure if we even have enough money in the village-'_ the Chief sighed inwardly, "How can we repay you then?"

"Information dear elder," The Angel approached and bowed, "Information is all we need."

With his heart appeased and thoughts reassured, he gestured towards his house as they marched off leaving their escorts to follow behind them.

An hour later they emerged out of the house as they were alerted by a villager that they saw dust clouds in the distance, indicating that a cavalry group was approaching. Moving quickly the surviving villagers were gathered and told to stay into the storehouses and barricade themselves, although both Sammael and Ainz knew there was no need to do so. It would not do well that the village relied on them too much. He instructed Zadkiel to greet the new comers or annihilate them if they would be hostile, either way someone could be observing them and he could not display the power of Nazarick in quick succession. Ainz, Sammael, Albedo and the Village Chief stood near the house of the Chief as they waited for the horsemen to arrive.

The thundering hooves of horses as they ran full gallop through the dirt road could be heard from afar as the head rider urged his mount to hurry. They have already reached other villages that were razed, none were spared, save for a few that were likely kept alive to spread the memory of the slaughter.

Not just the memory of it, but their despair, the harrowing experience of hopelessness and the profound inability of the Kingdom to protect them.

Damn those nobles to hell, he have heard rumors, reports even that were way beyond the time for reaction. Yet they have not taken any steps to prevent it, what the nobles did though is take steps on how to further weaken him in his duties. Not to mention since the King was pressured to take action, yet he was not able to be equipped with the treasures of the Kingdom spoke of volumes on how the Nobles loathed him and wishes his harm.

 _'Gazef-dono, I believe does not need the Treasures of the Kingdom in order to fulfill a reconnaissance in force-'_

 _'-agreed, furthermore the Treasures are the Kingdom's trump card. It should only be used if the Royal Family would be heading out or would be in immediate danger... after all, it is the King who is the true representative of the realm.'_

 _'Can you guarantee that you will not fall in battle without the King in sight? Can you assure us of the Noble Faction that you would not let the Treasures fall into enemy hands? Of course you could not, for you do not even have a shred of gold that can compensate the loss of your armor and sword.'_

Gazef Stronoff can only sigh tiredly as his horse galloped and made him lurch up and down, those Nobles sure are vicious when you get them riled up. And crafty too for having him set forth lightly armored and lightly escorted.

They rode hard, barely stopping to rest as their ranger deduced that the knights who attacked the villages and razed them to the ground were headed towards the last village on the frontier.

Carne Village.

And so with utmost haste, they raced through the countryside and came upon Carne Village. He looked at the hill near them and noticed like a deep ditch on the top of the hill that made its way downward. Were they excavating something here? They passed the hill that was upended and reached the outskirts of the village.

An armored individual floated in the middle of the village as they all approached cautiously, floated because his wings flapped occasionally. His weapon, a staff that glowed with an inner light is obviously a magic weapon, but not as clearly seen even from such range and intensity.

They reached the center of the village and stopped in front of the mysterious angel.

The Head Warrior banged his breastplate and said, "I am the Head Warrior of the Re-Estize Kingdom, my name is Gazef Stronoff."

"Greetings Gazef-dono, my creator bestowed the name Zadkiel on me, the _Angel of Mercy_ ," the entity bowed its head and removed its winged helm. It had a human face yet its eyes glowed in ethereal light, it had a bald head and glowing skin, but its face was kind and it smiled at him.

It had wings, it floated like an Angel and it exuded so much power he could feel the electricity in the air. He had never felt so much awe and inspiration for anyone else, it felt so holy to look into the angel's eyes. So awe-inspiring and quite disturbing at the same time.

He bowed, but gripped the hilt of his sword, "Are you perhaps an Angel from the Slane Theocracy?"

"Theocracy? Heavens no, such thing is not part of my being," the angel turned and gestured to the other three standing nearby, "I was made into being by Lord Sammael, the person in the devil's mask. I can introduce you, but may I have your word that you will show him the proper decorum and respect?"

"If I am correct to assume he was the one who saved this village, then by all means take my word for it," Gazef was surprised, if he was reading the lines correctly, the angel implied that this Sammael had summoned him through sheer will. But the Theocracy, who primarily uses angels to supplement their armies do not summon sentient beings. Instead, they seemed like automatons that heed the instructions of their summoner, unlike this fellow he is speaking to.

The angel bowed humbly, "Indeed, your assumptions are correct. Very well, I shall accompany you. You may dismount when you arrive in his presence."

The glowing wings flapped lightly and the Angel turned and headed towards the waiting persons near a shade under a single tree in the village. As they reached them he analyzed the group one by one, an elderly man with the dress of a commoner and the air of an old soul, then this must be the Chief of this small village. Right beside him is another full plated warrior in black, it had a Hussar's wing on the waist, which seemed strange since he knew they were attached to the upper back by straps, but no matter.

He turned to the last two who the Angel Zadkiel approached and bowed, he introduced him to the two masked individuals as he dismounted and approached them. The black armored warrior suddenly twirled the pulsing green bladed bardiche in its left hand and blocked his approach. The move happened in a blink of an eye as he felt the rush of wind from the blocking weapon. His left hand did not leave his sword, but that move was so fast he couldn't even see it-

"You do not have permission to approach-"

 _'Its a WOMAN!? A lady? IN that!?'_ Gazef heard the voice of the person in the plate armor and couldn't believe his ears. How can a woman carry that much weight in plate armor and spin a bardiche- A BARDICHE! like a baton, and block his approach without any kind of discomfort. Just how powerful was she?

"Enough Albedo, let him approach-" the magic caster gestured for the Warrior-Captain to approach as he continued forward as the warrior called Albedo bowed slightly and said, "As you wish my Lord."

Gazef finally reached them and couldn't help remarking that both of them were quite tall, he was actually looking up at them and they were massive for a human. He bowed as he reached them and tried to look into their eyes, "My name is Gazef Stronoff, Warrior-Captain of the Re-Estize Kingdom. Please accept my and the Kingdom's gratitude for your assistance in time of the subject of His Majesty is at most dire."

He bowed sincerely in gratitude as the Supreme Being said, "It was nothing, and it is common courtesy to help the innocent at least- ah, where are my manners? My name is Sammael and my partner is Ainz Ooal Gown-"

"Greeting Gown-dono, Sammael-dono," the Warrior-Captain bowed his head and asked, "I truly am glad you extended help to these innocent people, permit me to ask though, where have you come from?"

"I am a reclusive magic caster who studied magic lore for as long as I can remember," Ainz said as he gestured with his hand, "I have remained underground to further my own research and found much time has passed. My friend accompanied me and we have remained in seclusion since."

 _'Since when?'_ Gazef wanted to ask, but feared sounding too inquisitive, "And what have you garnered thus far?"

"I could not recall the memory of this place, much time has passed and- I, rather WE could not recall this place."

 _'So, they have secluded themselves for a long time- but what manner of being can summon or make a sentient Angel?'_

They were still contemplating each other when one of Gazef's men came riding forward on his horse. He rode from the edge of the village and came thundering forward with all haste, as he reached them he quickly dismounted and bowed at the gathered leaders. Looking at them all anxiously he almost shouted, "Captain, we have been surrounded."

The Warrior-Captain gripped his sword hilt tighter, "Any markings that we know?"

"I can't recognize them my Lord, but they have summoned Angels on their midst."

 _'More Angels?'_ Gazef resisted the urge to turn to Zadkiel and rubbed his chin, "How many?"

"A whole company. At least."

Sammael nods knowingly to Ainz and both turned to the Captain, "Stronoff-dono, maybe we can scout them out first before deciding on a course of action?"

"It is as you say, we must know of our enemy's strength before developing a strategy to take them down."

Gazef mounted on his horse as Ainz assured him that both of them would follow, as the Warrior Captain and his men left to scout out the enemy the Supreme Beings turned to the Village Chief and said, "Chief-san, your village suddenly has a lot of tourist I see."

"I fear they are not tourist to see the village, rather it is something else they need entirely."

"How sure are you Chief?" the Fallen rubbed his chin in contemplation.

"We are on the edge of the Re-Estize Kingdom's domain," the Village Chief smiled and scratched his head, "They would be hard pressed to find gold here, our primary products are the herbs we occasionally pick, lumber if a request is needed and fur before the winter season hits. But to visit us and kill us just for the sake of killing- no, Ainz-sama, Sammael-sama, we are merely a wheel in the hands of fate."

Dismissing the words of the Village Chief, the Elder Lich gestured with his hand and said, "Barricade yourselves into the storehouse, I shall not be long gone."

"I thank you once more Ainz-sama," the Chief saluted with his hat and headed for the village's storehouse. The Lich turned to the Fallen and opened a [Gate].

They found Gazef on the edge of a thicket of trees, the shadow of the forested area and the low light of the afternoon hid them from prying eyes, with silence they approached him quickly. The Warrior-Captain turned and saw the armored form of the village's savior just 10 paces away from him, the magic caster followed behind him. He was fully armored, how could he move so silently?

"Ah, Sammael-dono, Gown-dono... excellent you have arrived, see the enemy that waits for us?" the Captain pointed to a clearing not far where they were hiding on as the Fallen Angel's eyes widened as they looked at their enemy.

They were all Archangel Flame.

[ **Message** ]

 _'Sammael-kun, are those Archangels of Flame?'_

 _'Yes, they look exactly like the low level summons that I used to do- well, I can still do though,'_ Sammael rubbed his chin and then linked with his General, _'Zadkiel, go back to the Stellarum Nex- and wake up Ramiel.'_

 _'Understood-'_ and the link was cut off.

Ainz rubbed his bony chin and seemed to give a grim smile, "You seemed popular Stronoff-dono."

"Ah, you have seen their objective too it seems," the Warrior-Captain smiled bitterly, "It seems I was the assassination target of the Slane Theocracy to begin with. It was a given considering they kept attacking only the outlying villages, it is obvious now that they only wanted to draw me out. Plus, it looks to me like they even sent the whole Sunlight Scripture to deal with me."

"Sunlight Scripture?"

"Highly trained individuals, let us say a military arm of the Slane Theocracy."

Ainz sighed, "I'm starting to dislike this Theocracy."

"What will you do now Warrior-Captain?"

Silence descended as Gazef turned to Sammael and Ainz, "Would you consider being hired and employed by the Re-Estize Kingdom."

"We must decline," the Fallen Angel waved his hand in the negative, "We have no intention of fighting when we can always talk it out."

"Then, will you submit to mandatory conscription."

The air seemed to still as Ainz and Sammael stopped moving, the Warrior-Captain felt something like an impending danger as the two persons with him suddenly stopped. They felt like statues and felt that way as soon as he said they will submit. Eerie thing is that everything stopped around them, the sound of the forest stopped, no wind, no woodland creature moved, nor blade of grass or leaves rustle. Gazef had the deep feeling that he might have crossed or put his one foot on a very dangerous line.

 _"You may try Warrior-Captain, but you will find you and your soldiers head in a pike... while your Kingdom burns. I suggest you thread lightly~"_

A chilling voice came from the devil's mask as he took a reluctant step back. With sheer will, he forced the fear that welled up from the depths of his heart and tried to stamp it down. The voice of Sammael could not have been much lower, but it carried through with an unfathomable force behind it, with great effort Gazef grinned and shook his head, "Fear not Sammael-dono, Gown-dono, I could never impose on the goodwill you have shown the villagers. Alas, I must ask that you show them your magnanimous side when we all fall as we charge them."

"Will you not flee Stronoff-dono? You are lightly armored, the strength of your men are all but spent, and you are surrounded."

Gazef smiled serenely and said, "That may be so, but if I leave with my tail between my legs the enemy may turn to the villagers next and try to slaughter them. Although your continued presence here has allayed that worry from my mind. Still, I cannot in good conscience sacrifice the life of an innocent."

Ainz and Sammael looked at each other talked with their eyes, the Angel turned to the Warrior-Captain and smiled, "Your heart is commendable Stronoff-dono, fear not, I shall accompany you against this- this rabble."

[ **Message** ]

 _'A player could be hiding in their midst.'_

 _'I have already considered that Momonga-kun, quite personally, my abilities are quite substantial and we both know how weak the denizens of this world are judging from the knights that we fought earlier.'_

 _'But a player-'_

 _'-yes a player would be a substantial threat however, since when have I- or rather we lost to PVP? Only Touch Me and Takemikazuchi was able to defeat me in battle. However, let me show you my expertise in dealing with armies.'_

Momonga or rather Ainz shook his head and sighed, _'Very well- but I will keep the Stellarum Nex on standby'_

 _'I would not have it any other way, besides I have ordered my most powerful defender to be awoken.'_

 _'I still think this is too reckless-'_

 _'Fear not Momonga-kun, in case I perish, you can experiment if resurrection does work on this world.'_

The Elder Lich stopped as his jaw dropped, _'I don't know how you see your death as funny?'_

 _'You are so uptight.'_

A prickling sensation reached his senses as he felt someone reached his mind.

 _'My Lord Sammael, your servant has awoken.'_

 _'How are you Ramiel?'_

 _'I am in good spirits my Lord, what shall we destroy now?'_

 _'Patience, I merely need you to defend me since I will be heading out.'_

 _'It is an honor my Lord, shall I go now?'_

 _'No, no, no, don't be hasty, just wait for me to call you- uhh, let's see, prepare for dynamic entry Ramiel.'_

There was no reply for almost a minute, but then the voice of his 2nd Creation reached his mind again, _'Understood.'_

Sammael faced Gazef and gestured with his open arms, "Shall we go now Warrior-Captain?"

"W-what about the villagers?"

"Worry not," the Fallen chuckled, "They are safer than you would be in the next few minutes."

Ainz and Sammael walked towards the clearing with Gazef in tow, the Warrior-Captain of the Re-Estize Kingdom could not believe his eyes. They were walking casually out into the open as if merely going in a stroll, but he could see that Sammael stood and walked slightly in front of Ainz Ooal Gown as the magic caster. Meaning that this large man would fight the Sunlight Scriptures.

"So, Gazef-san..." the Fallen Angel began conversation before they reached the clearing, " _What can you tell us about this Slane Theocracy~?"_

To be continued

A/N:

Thanks for the continued support.

 _' **NEMO MEO POENA EFFUGIT**.' _ means 'None may escape my vengeance' in Latin.

Please enjoy the show and review. It motivates me.


	4. The Sunlight Scripture (rewritten)

Disclaimer: Seriously, I would have owned tlhis if only I was rich, sadly I am not. So its not mine.

 **Title: Heaven or Hell?**

Chapter 4 - The Sunlight Scripture

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Outskirts of Carne Village

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The Overlord and the Fallen walked towards the clearing with the Warrior Captain in between them. The mortal with them could not believe what he was currently witnessing, they were casually walking out into the open. Like a group of common men going out for a summer stroll, indeed, the feeling that he get from these two mighty individuals with him were like regular human nobles. It was as if they were just wearing masks and costumes as they walked into the shining sun. Though he could see with a practiced eye that this does not seem to be the case, for the one called Sammael walked slightly in front of the Lich. A classic battle formation whereas the magic caster would be expected to be in front of the melee fighter. Though their demeanor and words implied that it was only Master Sammael who would be fighting the Sun Scripture.

"So, Gazef-dono, what can _you tell me about this Slane Theocracy~"_ the words were like pealing bells as Gazef's heart seemed to be aflutter and inspired by his words. It was like each and every vocal word he spoke, his heart was inspired to be at ease and safe at the presence of these two powerful beings walking with him.

Unbeknownst to him, Ainz looked at Sammael knowingly and said through [ **Message** ].

 _"Did you just use your passive?"_

 _"shh..."_

 _"Was that [ **Command Mantra** ]?"_

 _"No, too forceful and not very subtle. It was [ **Word Manipulator** ]."_

 _"Wasn't that a buff by increasing a significant amount to the charm stat?"_

 _"No! It was a racial skill, since I'm technically half-angel and half-something else."_

 _"No- no, they made an update on that. They call it [ **Word of Power** ]."_

 _"Whatever, as long as it works."_

Gazef cleared his throat and replied, "The Slane Theocracy is a human nation that lies in the Southern border of the Re-Estize Kingdom. It is a theocratic nation ruled by a council of six Cardinal and the Pontifex Maximus. Each of the 6 Cardinals represent one of the 6 Great Gods."

 _"Who are these Six Great Gods~?"_

The Warrior Captain's senses seemed off but he replied anyway, "W-well, the Six Great Gods are the deities that once roamed this world. They instilled the Tier magic class and built their city upon where the Slane Theocracy now stands. Now each faction has its own military arm complete with Knights, Clerics and support personnel, and of course, there is their special units called Scriptures."

 _"And what are the Scriptures for~?"_

"Some say the Scriptures are units that the Theocracy uses to combat threats to humanity," the Warrior-Captain grinned at that, "I personally think they are for assassinations. If in case the leadership of the Theocracy needs something done, then they call for their numerous Scriptures for the job."

Sammael then gave a low rumbling laugh, "You must be honored then, a whole Scriptures worth of men and material just for your demise? "

"Ah yes, it brings me anger though for me to think that I am such a threat to them that they would resort to such underhanded tactics to lure me out," Gazef shook his head looking regretful, "If only we caught wind of this much sooner, too much innocent lives are destroyed by these- these power plays they do."

"But to think that summoning creatures would be enough of a skill for you people?"

"Surely you jest Lord Sammael, being able to summon Angels, especially in such numbers is something that cannot be easily done by any common man. It is said that every member of a Scripture is worth 10 men at least in skill and power," it was Gazef's turn to chuckle at that, "As for me, I'll just stick to swords and shields. I don't think that I have the aptitude nor the talent to do a passable magic spell. In fact, I can't even cast a spell even if my life depended on it."

The Fallen continued walking and talking, _"What else can you tell me~?"_

Gazef felt his emotions surge, was there something wrong with him? "It is also common knowledge that the Theocracy advocates and promotes the extermination of all non-human or demi-human beings with sentience. It is said to go against the exact teachings of the Six Great Gods regarding the superiority of humanity. There were some rumors before of tribes of demi-humans that have been wiped out by the Sunlight Scripture and they are known to have carried out extermination crusades in the Beastmen Kingdom and near their borders with the Holy Kingdom."

"For such a nation to be active in clandestine operations-"

"-indeed, I heard one adventurer group managed to save a tribe of bunny warriors from the Sunlight Scripture. But I have not heard the story from the saviors themselves. I will tell you if I have more information."

"Umu! Maybe some other time you can continue this story Stronoff-dono, now we must delay this conversation," Ainz interjected as they came out of the tree line, "It seems the supposed 'rabble' are actually heavily armed and armored group of specialist."

Upon reaching the clearing they finally managed to get a clear view of their enemies, there was an approximately 50 to 55 men, a good company sized group not including the Angels as their summoned creatures, which considerably bolstered their forces. Numerous Archangel Flames hovered above ground and near their summoners as they all turned to the newly arrived. Surprisingly, the Warrior-Captain felt no anxiety nor fear, he actually felt he was awash in a wave of calm and steady state of mind, like something actually empowered him. Unknowingly, the aura of Sammael bolstered his emotions thereby steadying his already hammering heart, if in the event he would be removed from the calming influence of the aura then beads of sweat would have already formed on his forehead.

"Well then I shall be going ahead Ainz-kun," Sammael said lightly as he adjusted his armor to make it more presentable, "Gazef-dono, you shall accompany me, I sure hope we can attain a measure of victory without shedding a drop of blood."

"You would offer them friendship Sammael-kun?"

The Fallen chuckled at that, "Peace is always an option right? There is nobody saying we can't be civilized."

 _'Coming from a soldier huh,'_ Ainz sighed at that and watched the 2 of them walk away.

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As the two of them walked towards the enemy, Gazef felt no fear at the large army arrayed against them. He felt strange, like his emotion has been inhibited somewhat, but he was clueless on the source of his new found bravery. Well, perhaps it was due to the presence of his companion, mighty individuals they may be, brought forth less caution on his end. Again, unbeknownst to him though, he was covered under the Aura of Inspiration that was constantly undulating from the Fallen Angel. He was unknowingly empowered as the Warmaster walked forward of him and he was not considered a threat nor an enemy.

In a gesture of good faith, Sammael drew his sword and thrusts it to the ground. They continued their approach leaving the unassuming weapon where he drove it like a wooden stake. His heavenly raiment was concealed and his aura was suppressed to the absolute minimum it seemed non-existent. The only thing that seemed off-put with him was the demon mask he had with its pair of curved ornate horns that is actually a divine item that increases his evasion and cast a high-level of confusion on any enemy that can get through his aura. Though he is basically defenseless in Yggdrasil, he's still impenetrable in this New World, and of course he was still hoping that they can always talk things through. They arrived near the gathered soldiers as the Fallen Angel gave a small bow and promptly introduced himself.

"Greetings to all, my name is Sammael, I am here with the Warrior Captain of the Re-Estize Kingdom, I pray your good grace and will this day."

A tall man that held his head high walked from the back into the front, he had an obvious bearing of a high noble. He was garbed in an all black battle cloak with straps that held bottles of potion with unknown effects and strength. His cold gray eyes peered at them like a haughty cat and a grin full of contempt twisted his already damaged features, a scar that started on his lower lip that extends up to his cheek was quite prominent and would grab your attention right away. Blonde hair that was cut short, exactly how a career soldier would carry it.

"My name is Nigun Grid Luin," his voice was filled with mock amusement and pride as he introduced himself, "Commander of the Theocracy's Sunlight Scripture."

 _'Hmm, I see... Sunlight Scripture - SS huh?'_ Sammael wryly thought, "Greetings Nigun-dono, may we respectfully ask you to just leave and hopefully forget all that came to pass here- so many innocents have already given their lives."

The Warrior-Captain gripped his sword tighter as Nigun gave a twitch and a small laugh. Then the Scripture Captain began belting out laughter full of contempt and amusement towards the two of them. He gave them a nasty grin as he shook his head in disbelief, "I can't believe this, have you both lost your minds? And who are you peasant to even consider asking me such a thing?"

"Well, I am a humble traveler that have recently passed by here," the Fallen then pointed behind him and shrugged his shoulders, "I also have a vested interest in a nearby village and I simply wish that no harm came to the people-"

"Foolish in-bred peasant!" the Scripture Captain almost screeched at him, "Who are you to demand such a ludicrous thing from me! Not even the nobles of my country would dare ask me so lightly, your squire has failed to amuse me Gazef Stronoff. You have nothing against me and you will both fall today!"

Stronoff looked confused at that statement, but kept his silence. Do none of them feel it? The tension thickened when they rebuked him? Or was it when they called him a peasant? He could not remember when it began, but it was so thick now he could slice it with a sword. Can the 'unknown human' who walked with him actually able to suppress his powers? Do they honestly not see the minute details on his armor, on his skin, even his mask was damaged. Like they have endured a great battle repeatedly, his armor also showed that they were repaired in some sections. And his scars that peppered the exposed parts of his body, they were so numerous that he lost count at 20 just on his upper arm alone. As a warrior, he could clearly see why Sammael would wear an armor that is not complete, for it shows a fake vulnerability that the enemy think they can exploit, therefore being susceptible for counter-attack and carelessness due to a false sense of superiority against him.

"You are such an imbecile Gazef, you do not know, but your own countrymen had betrayed you and comfortably laid you on our lap," Nigun grinned at that, "I expect nothing less, since you came from such a low-born status. I can never understand why you came to rest on your laurels-"

He stopped abruptly as the Fallen raised his right hand and cleared his throat quite loudly, "Nigun-dono, I pray that you would listen to reason and consider going back to the Theocracy for now. I assure you it will do you no good to harm innocent civilians."

"-the audacity! The audacity of this... this adventurer dares to overstep his voice over mine?" Nigun's forehead popped a vein as his temper rampaged on being cut off, "Listen to me you miserable dour-faced adventurer, I will deal with you soon enough after I sort our your own Warrior-Captain, so you will shut your filthy mud-born blood mouth and let the nobility speak!"

He then turned back to the Warrior-Captain and mocked him further, "You miserable fool, if you had just chosen to ignore the villagers in the outskirts of the Kingdom then your life wouldn't have to end here. Your nobles nor I could not understand it, but who would have imagined that a poor, mud-caked, commoner like you would be worth more than the lives of a thousand of your flea-infested peasants. If you truly loved your country, then you should have saved yourself and served your crumbling Kingdom another time!"

 _"I beseech you to digress and listen to me~"_

"-such nearsightedness from a person of high office like you, needlessly dragging other people to your demise- including this sorry excuse of an incompetent adventurer who could not even afford to properly armor himself!"

 _"Will you not listen to my words and go through with this? Have you no reason left and merely wish to satisfy senseless bloodletting~?"_

Nigun sneered at them again and walked back amidst his forces, "I grow tired of these senseless conversation with your peasants. Have the Angels slay them quickly- then resolve the issue with the nearby village later."

Members of the Scripture stepped forward and gestured towards the Warrior-Captain and his companion. Grabbing the hilt of his sword Gazef prepared for battle. But before he could react two yellow streaks charged towards Gazef as Nigun scoffed and turned away saying, _"Verenden du bauerin der müll"_

In a blink of an eye, the Fallen Angel was stabbed by two Archangels of Flame, they pushed and vied for position as the Warrior-Captain looked in horror at the sight of the impaled man in front of him, their energy swords glowing as they ran him through. The Scripture Captain grinned as the so-called 'peasant adventurer' was helplessly stabbed. Why would he waste time on someone who could not understand their distance against each other? Could he not see the supremacy he exuded? Well, it was not his fault that he took him lightly, rather it was the other way around-

"Why are you tarrying?" he looked at one of his subordinates and frowned, "Pull back that Angel and get rid of Gazef."

One of his acolytes saluted with his right arm raised forward with the palm held high, "Commander, we are trying to retrieve it, but it seems to be stuck in some way."

"What are you talking about?" the answer irked Nigun for some reason.

"Something or someone could be holding onto them."

All looked at the pair of struggling angels as they saw the supposed 'peasant adventurer' hold the arms of the two angels that dared to impale him with their swords. He seemed unfazed as they struggled as if their life depended on it, even Gazef stepped to the side a bit to get a good look as he looked in complete disbelief. The Angels struggled and tugged mightily against the unyielding hands of the Fallen Angel. A sudden chill seemed to grip Nigun's spine as his look at the adventurer seemed to slowly unravel before him as his aura was slowly felt by those nearest him.

"Impossible."

.

"-so, it is true" Gazef gasped as his eyes widened in mixed disbelief and amazement, "No wonder I felt so at ease."

Right in front of him, even with 2 energy swords piercing him, he stood strong and immovable. Holding the 2 Angels easily, it was unreal how he could still stand upright. The fact that he was holding 2 enemies down, with their swords stuck to his body was an excellent proof of his strength. Mind you, energy swords wielded by Archangels of Flames can easily penetrate and cut through plate armor. Plus, his aura that he believed was previously suppressed is now beginning to leak, which means the probable enchantments he casts before would be undone and he would finally be revealed to him. This probability both excited and scared Gazef, if these people are as powerful as what he felt then, he could not even comprehend how he would carry himself in front of them then.

"Was it so hard to listen to reason?" the Warrior-Captain felt a chill crawling from his spine. His voice was sorrowful, yet there was an underlying anger coming from it, "Did I not try to be courteous to you? And this is how you repay my kindness?"

"Your ignorance is deplorable Commander Nigun, you have raised your hand against me and have threatened a village that I have vested an interest in," Sammael slowly turned his head to Gazef and looked at him with great sorrow, "Stronoff-dono, please step back to Ainz's position on the back. I shall put an end to this farce with the Sunlight Scripture. Tell Ainz that these racist-ass motherfuckers going to get an honest to goodness curb stomping, I'll give them a good shit smacking they won't soon forget."

The Warrior-Captain nods his head slowly and began to walk back to Ainz's position. He looked back and saw that their previous companions now stood with the magic caster, no wonder he was quite confident to send him to the rear. The lady in the black plate armor and glowing green bardiche didn't even turn his way as he reached them, but the magic caster regarded him with a bow of the head.

"So? What did he say?"

"He said that he would be smacking their shit-"

"-eh?" Ainz inner self looked stunned.

"And then curb stomp them good these racist-ass motherfuckers," Gazef shook his head confused, "My word, I can only conclude that what he said was a spirited statement that he would defeat these gathered men before us. But please do allow me to ask one thing Ainz-dono."

The Lich sighed inwardly, what did Sammael actually think of teaching the Warrior-Captain the more colorful language of the modern world, "You may ask."

"Will he be truly alright fighting alone Ainz-dono?" his brow furrowed as he looked back at the Fallen Angel, "To be honest, I do not wish to leave him alone. But his voice compelled me to move away from him, it was as if he implied I would be restricting him with my presence there."

"Gazef-dono," the Captain looked at the disguised Lich as he spoke with his deep voice, "Take what you will see today at heart, we trust your discretion at this. Do we have your word?"

Without hesitation and his eyes glinting all truthfulness and honesty, Gazef readily nods his head, "You have my word."

"Very good Warrior-Captain, now stand back and enjoy the show."

.

Sammael felt Gazef walked over where Ainz, Albedo and Zadkiel were gathered as he gripped the two Archangels of Flame tighter. Grinning behind his mask, he felt that he did not need to exert any effort, nor waste MP on these soldiers. Willing the spell in his mind, he focused on the 2 Archangels in front of him and cast [ **Unsummon Creature** ].

The pair of Archangel Flames exploded into thousands of tiny lights as all the spectators looked on in surprise, as they vanished he raised one of his hands and beckoned for the Scripture to get him. Nigun, in a bout of anger screamed, "Send every Angel! Kill that- that abomination!"

A mass of gold winged soldiers charged the Supreme Being, they were so much faster in real life that the Archangel Flames were upon him in moments. But they suddenly stopped in mid-air as everybody saw something sprout from his back and his power spreading and undulating from where he stood. The members of the Scripture all took a step back and unconsciously huddled closer together as Nigun bit his lip to keep his composure. A power so culpable the wind picked up and forcefully swept through them as they felt the power of the Supreme Being unravel. The members of the strike team tethered on edge as their enemy glowed with an inner light and a bright halo formed above his head. Armor that looked uncanny and cheap suddenly showed numerous runes and glowed with an inner light, its patina now suggest that the armor is very old and have survived countless battles through the centuries. Its quality was like the old armors of the Gods themselves, pulsing with a dormant power they could see and feel where they all stood.

But what truly gave them pause was the individually feathered wings from the massive wings that sprouted from his back, they were unlike the energy wings of the Archangel Flames, they were first and foremost inverted and are a burnished gold in color. A single flap from the wings made him float a few feet off the ground and kept him at a steady hover. Gazef can only stare in disbelief as Ainz kept his silence, perhaps this was their plan all along to beat the Scripture into submission.

The Fallen Angel opened his right hand and beckoned for his sword to his hand, the sword that he stuck to the ground in good faith at the start of their meeting was now called forth. The weapon quivered and shook as it floated above ground then suddenly flew into his waiting hand. As the handle reached his open right palm, the force of the retracted blade made him raise the blade to his chest, as soon as the momentum bled off though he then swung it casually down back to his right. The air pressure of the passing blade cleaved through the ground, disturbing and cutting hard ground, soil, and rock. As if a great upheaval came down upon it, stones the size of boulders were lifted and then pushed away. All eyes present widened as the simple swing caused so much damage. Finally, a golden light shone down from the heavens and bathed Sammael in a golden fiery aura, then a pleasant smell for every human present permeated the air as they noted him flapping his wings.

He raised his left hand and spoke in a booming voice, " _Ego Imperator Sammael, concedo mi numen. Adnuto mi Sanctus Potentia~!_ "

Not accustomed for having their power upstaged by any show of strength nor grand sight, they blinked dumbfound as Nigun was the first to recover. He noted that the Archangel Flames they summoned landed near the Fallen and knelt in front of the spectacular looking Angel.

The cold chill on Nigun's body returned as he turned to his most senior aide and ordered, "Pull them back. Reform the line!"

"W-we can't My Lord!"

"What do you mean we can't?" the Scripture Captain looked ready to attack him, "You dare question me? Pull back the Angels! Now!"

"We cannot sir-" the aide was sweating bullets, afraid of the Fallen and at his superior at the same time, "-we cannot because they would not follow our orders anymore sir."

Nigun gnashed his teeth in annoyance, he turned behind him and concentrated at his own summon, the Principality of Observation moved without any resistance. So, it would be simple logic that it would be easy to assert his will to another Angel due to his experience and rank. He then turned to the group of Angels kneeling before the Fallen and sent a forceful command order to retreat and reform the line.

Not one of the gathered Archangels twitched, nor acknowledge he was connected to them. They dare not move as they continued kneeling at thr powerful entity now standing before them. Refusing to give up though, he narrowed his focus and concentrated on one of the Angels. He tugged with all his magical might could muster, but the summon did not even acknowledged his presence. Suddenly he began feeling around him, it was faint at first, like he was blinded to it, but then it finally dawned on him.

Due to his link to the Angel, he can also see any entity linked to their summon.

A cold dread engulfed him as he felt the entity that has engulfed the being of the Archangel. Like a chess player holding one of the pieces of the game, he could not believe what he was seeing. It was as if a titanic being held the Archangel in its two fingers, its face was so far above his sight he could not see its entirety. It felt like there was an insurmountable wall in front of him. Like standing in front of the side of a skyscraper and looking up. It seemed to go on forever up into the sky and the end being out of sight. He raised his right hand and casts one of his commander skills, "Legio et caelum, exaudi mea, you are commanded to subdue these old Masters of yours. By all means necessary!"

"Cast command skills [ **Heavenly Commander's Might** ]"

The Archangel Flame saluted crisply and about faced towards the Sunlight Scriptures, fear swept through the ranks of the enemy as they saw their own summons being enveloped in a fiery aura. Their energy swords were now wreathed in roiling flames and its glow has intensified than before, spilling and dripping like it had been doused with crude oil. Plus, it had a more solid profile now, it transformed into a more substantial metal sword, burnished with gold as it glimmered in the low light. Sammael squealed inwardly at the effect of his commander skills on the summoned creatures, he raised his left hand then and said, "Cast command skills [ **Heavenly Commander's Protection** ]"

Armor that looked like blocks of cardboard and geometrically stiff took on the shape of a more master crafted armor. It was smooth and curved in places and looked generally well-made. Each and everyone who stood there could not believe what they were seeing, their summons who looked like large Minecraft creations are now looking more human, with complete appendages and forms. Though their helmets still obstruct their faces, they could see that their summons now have a neck and a certain jawline becoming visible.

Sammael grinned behind his mask and gestured forward with his hand, "Go forth and fear no darkness!"

Angel allies now stood in opposition as their summoned creatures began to turn against them. How quick was he to turn their former allies and servants into their own adversaries. They charged with inhuman speed and they were swiftly upon their human summoners, the Scripture members panicked for a moment but recollected themselves quickly. They raised magic circles around them and began firing offensive spells towards the charging Angels. Various spells rained down at the charging mass, yet they simply shrugged it off as if it was nothing, the Fallen Angel though looked smugly at Nigun simmering with anger and disbelief.

The Scripture Captain simmered because all the 3rd Tier spells the members of his group threw at them seemed to harmlessly bounce off the glowing armor of their adversaries. It seemed their armor has been made impervious to low-tiered spells by the command skills that were cast by the Fallen.

"Commander Nigun!" one of his acolytes turned to him in desperation, his voice cracking under pressure, "What will we do? Our spells have had no effect on them."

"Keep fighting! Engage them in melee if you must," he turned to his own summoned Angel and nods his head, "The Principality of Observation is still with us- Principality of Observation! Attack!"

The large angel with a war mace floated above them and positioned itself in front of their formation, it joined the other acolytes as they engaged the Archangel Flames in melee. The Principality of Observations was an angel in full body armor. It held an iron mace in one of its hand and a rather small round ornate shield on the other. A garment embroidered with religious images looked like a long skirt that covered its armored legs. Drawing magic weapons of their own the members of the Scripture are well-trained and disciplined soldiers in their own right. But against the charging group of Angels all training went out the window as it turned into a brutal melee. Sammael, Gazef, Ainz and Albedo looked on as the Archangels tangled and clashed with each other. The Warrior-Captain could not believe his eyes, he was speaking with such a powerful individual he could not fathom the power this man- no, this Angel could wield.

The fact the angel he previously spoke with, Zadkiel was his name, called Sammael his Master and Maker typically implies who is the leader and who is the servant. Another thought clicked on his mind, if what he's seeing is a portion of the Angel's power then what would Ainz-dono stature be? He called him a friend, an equal at best, so it would be safe to assume that their might combined could destroy the Kingdom, or Gods forbid shatter the world.

But who were they? If he would be able to survive this encounter then he would have to ask the scribes in the Kingdom's Library to know if they have even a sliver of information about them. Considering their power, the true question now is, why have they kept themselves hidden? Why reveal themselves now? Why did they decide to appear in the midst of the battle at Carne Village? With so many questions, he finds he has so little time to think. It seems Gazef can only pray that he would survive in case these powerful beings decided to focus their sights on him again.

On the other side of the melee, Nigun grinds his teeth in frustration as he watched his soldiers being hammered by the superior Archangels Flame. He clenched his fist in anger, just who is this- ' _thing_ ' they are fighting with, how can it exert its will against them and command the Angels they so painstakingly summoned. Stepping back behind two of his followers that did not join in the skirmish, the Captain rummaged through his bag and felt for the crystal within. Seeing that his soldiers were being subdued one by one by the empowered Angels, he might be forced to utilize this trump card that he was actually reserving for Gazef. The Cardinals were probably not aware and quite unexpectedly to their detriment, but at this critical moment he just found out that the Archangels can be empowered further.

But this- this Angel that they were fighting with was sentient. It acted like a human, but how can that be so?

He had been trained all his life, he had pored over all knowledge about Angels. Including all aspects of summoning even the highest tiered Angel that humans can summon. Of course, it was recorded that the God of Life can summon a hundred Angels easily, but he was not depicted someone looking like an Angel with inverted wings. Also, he was not sure if he should draw his trump card now or keep it in reserve. But as he watched his soldiers falling one by one, and the Principality being overwhelmed by 4 Archangels he can only grit his teeth as he pulled out the Magic Sealing Crystal.

From afar, Sammael's eyes shifted as he saw the Sealing Crystal from afar, he turned towards his guild mate and said, "They have a Sealing Crystal with them-"

"-perhaps it is time for caution."

"Indeed, I shall alert my soldier that have the most defense," the Fallen sheaths his sword and looked up to the heavens the same time that Nigun also raised the Sealing Crystal, he had never unleashed this particular Angel before and quite frankly he would not do so lightly, but they were in a current stalemate. He memorized the words of the spell as he quickly peeled away the magical wards that sealed the powerful being from within.

"Come forth! **Dominion Authority!** "

The heavens spilled forth light and a bright flash made everyone's eyes close as the middle-tier angel burst forth in a blast of light. Numerous wings erupted from a single source as an angel almost 20 feet tall floated above them. Its armor was pure white enhanced by the light coming from the heavens as a pleasant smell permeated in the air.

"Behold the highest-tiered angel has come forth!" the Scripture Captain loudly proclaimed with religious fervor. His words inspired and filled his acolytes with fervor and faith that they rallied against the Archangels. With the battle shifting and seeing the flame in the eyes of his men be reignited, he gestured to the angel he summoned and said, "Dominion Authority use [ **Holy Smite]**!"

The golden mace it held shattered into hundreds of tiny pieces as it hovered and circled the angel, the pieces spun around as it began gathering power and light within itself. The charging of the spell reached a crescendo and a bluish light from the heavens struck their former summons. All the Archangel Flames were decimated as the spell struck them back with so much force they began disintegrating even before they reach the ground. Emboldened, Nigun and his men gathered behind the two high tiered angels and began forming magic circles. They gathered their wounded as the tempo of battle finally shifted to their side.

Archangel Flames are physical embodiment of their summoners, being augmented by their own summoner is common knowledge to all who knew it in Yggdrasil. Yet these Angels were still bound to their human summoners in one way or another, enough power to manifest a low-tiered Angel, but not enough to last against a Mid-Tier Angel attack. And so with supreme confidence and utter smugness dripping from Commander Nigun's face he gestured towards their enemy Angel. He had fought countless times, put his life in the line, and even took as many lives he lost count of it. From their distance he could feel the radiating might their adversary is putting out and it was detrimental on the first part of the skirmish. But with the overpowering presence of the Angel on their side, his men were emboldened and he could feel his hold on the Principality of Observation.

"To those who can, re-summon your Archangels!" the Scripture Captain rallied his men, "We will counter-attack!"

Their hearts emboldened and their faiths restored, the still able-bodied Scripture members formed into positions and summoned magic circles on their body. Quickly they raised their arms and aimed their spell towards Sammael.

[ **Fire Rain** , [ **Holy Ray** , [ **Charge of Stalagmite** , [ **Charm Person** , [ **Hold** , [ **Fear** , [ **Blindness** , [ **Weakness** , [ **Magic** **Missile** , [ **Open** **Wounds** , [ **Iron Hammer of Righteousness** , [ **Shockwave** , [ **Emerald Sarcophagus** , [ **Confusion** , **[Poison,** [ **Word of Curse** ]...

The storm of magic and spells that lashed at Sammael did not even made him flinch, he was unmoved at the continuous hail of spells as Ainz looked at him from afar chuckling darkly. "Those are quite simple spells, 2nd tier and 3rd tier mostly, yet who taught them? What tools did they utilized? How did they learn all those spells from Yggdrasil? Sammael was right, they must all survive!"

Gazef did not seem to hear the dark undertone on what Ainz said as he can only look in horror and shock. Such is the power of this individual that he could not fathom it at all. The firepower and magic unleashed by the Scripture members were too much it would have been catastrophic to charge them head on even if they were on horseback and in full plate. Yet the Fallen Angel was unperturbed at the firepower dropped in front of him, in fact, he even looked bored as he flapped his wings the same way a bird would straighten out its feathers.

Nigun stepped back in fear and turned to the large angel floating beside him.

"Dominion Authority!" he gestured towards the angel and willed their summon with his mind, "Use [ **Holy** **Smite** ]!"

The large angel flapped its wings and floated forward once more, its field of vision filled with its target. Being a mindless summon, the Dominion Authority suffused power on its weapon and the golden mace it held glowed brightly and shattered in a thousand pieces once more. The same bluish light enveloped him and Sammael looked up at the impending attack, overwhelming light engulfed the Fallen Angel as Nigun cackled madly.

"See! See!? See it now! You who trampled on the power of the Theocracy and proclaim itself Supreme over it!" the Commander was looking up in the heavens and was proclaiming loudly, "The Supreme Angel that you seek to overcome, that has the power to subdue a Demon Lord! Has thrown you down and tore you from your pedestal! Fear the Might of the Sunlight Scripture! Ahahaha-"

 _'How dare you.'_

A chill ran down his spine as he looked at the Fallen Angel being engulfed with the cleansing light of the [ **Holy** **Smite** ] spell. From where they stood, they can see that Sammael actually have his arms opened wide, in a welcoming gesture of the spell damage. They all stared dumb founded except Ainz who actually expected his friend to pull some crazy stunt like this one. As he was engulfed by the spell, the force of it flapped his wings involuntarily while his chain skirt swayed lazily. The spell terminated as the ground where the Supreme Being stood sizzled with the burn damage it received, but as they looked at Sammael, not a single singed hair, spot, or area in his armor was damaged. Chuckling darkly, the Fallen Angel rubbed his thumb and two fingers together as if testing the texture of an object.

"So, that was light damage! I didn't feel a thing!?"

Elated, he began laughing in earnest. Being an Angel bordering on heresy, he was unaffected by the spell at the most. Rather its effect has diminished greatly when it hit him.

" **How DARE you!?** "

A flaming pillar suddenly came down from the heavens in front of the Supreme Being as all eyes recoiled at another catastrophe happening in front of them. A loud clap of thunder shook the heavens and the earth trembled beneath their feet.

" **How DARE you lay your hands on our Warmaster!?** "

Nigun and the rest of the Scripture members were forced on their knees as a glimmering four-winged angel in blue heavily plated armor appeared in front of them. The Dominion Authority hovering near it easily dwarfed the newcomer by almost or more than just a few feet, but he could not help feel a certain inadequacy in his gut. It was like even though the Dominion towered over the two enemy, the power they radiated was much, much more than their summon or them could muster.

The angel's light subsided and they finally saw the details on the newcomer's armor. The armor gleamed with a mirror sheen, like polished steel although blued with chemicals. The helm of the angel was like the centurion helm of Roman times, its tassle a blue and white combination of stiff exotic hair, on the right side of the helm was a carved winged Aquila. The breastplate of the armor was marked with the carved image of an eagle with scrolls and runes of supplication adorning the sides, a raised collar that encased and protected the throat called a ' _gorget_ ' protected half the face of the helm and continued to the sides and back giving the Angel a powerful and menacing appearance. Its pauldrons were twice the size compared to those the ones normally worn by men and they were sloped to deflect any weapons or projectiles that would struck them. Both pauldrons were richly decorated, the left one had the carving of a crucified Angel, and his right one held numerous writings that Nigun could not even fathom on how to read it. Two red circles that looked similar to wax seals complete with parchment paper was pinned to the front of the breastplate exactly in front where the heart would be and a rope made of fine materials of white and blue hung on his side.

A white billowing cape was pinned on the large pauldrons as he seemed to retract his wings behind him and lowered it as a sign of respect to the one he obviously protected. Nigun might be a heartless, selfish bastard, but he knew respect and protocol when he sees one. And the newly arrived Angel does not want his wings to be higher than the obviously senior one. They watched as the first angel gestured with its hand and the blue armored one bowed its head and visibly relaxed its wings.

Nigun continued his scrutiny as he saw the weapons it carried, the newly arrived clutched a short broad double edged sword. The pommel and guard was banded steel of white and blue and the blade had a diamond shaped tip, it glowed too with an inner bluish light and as the Angel visibly relaxed still did not relax the hold it has on its weapon, a scabbard made of burnished bronze peeked from behind his armor as he puts forward the shield he carried. Now, the tower shield it carried thoroughly caught his eye, he had seen finely crafted weapons, and high-grade armors and armaments, including the gears of the Six Gods. Yet as he looked at the weapon it carried, he couldn't deny the fact that it was of superb quality and seemed to be centuries- nay, millennia old at least.

Unbeknownst to Nigun, he was looking at a World-Class Item. It was the Shield of Castiel, a World-Item that can reflect all spells, damages, including certain effects from other World Items. Named after an Angel of the Lord, Castiel was also called _Shield of God,_ a _theoporic name_ that was picked up by one of the developers, it was made as a counter-measure due to the rampant use of the Messiah's Raiment World Items.

A golden halo shone behind the new comer as he stood in front of Sammael as if guarding him, never letting anything else approach nor touch him.

"My Lord," Ramiel's voice floated through the void of his visors, it was cold, deep and unsettling. "Is this world the one that needs purging?"

Sammael puts one of his armored gauntlets on one of Ramiel's pauldrons and said, "Patience my General. This world is new, and unknown to us, this is merely a skirmish."

"Surely this world could offer so much more than these-" the Angel gestured with his chin towards Nigun and scoffed, "-these weak minded idiots. Surely these inferior beings are nothing against your might my Lord."

The Fallen laughed a little at the words of his best defender, "If you said it then it must be so- but still, although I do not doubt you can easily grind the enemy underneath your boot. I cannot allow this to happen."

"We will not purge them? They hurt you and we would not retaliate?"

"I can hardly say that I was hurt by that small poke that soldier did-" he pointed to the Dominion Authority and smiled at his General, "You do not understand Ramiel, what I- what we need now is reconnaissance, preferably information with live subjects."

Realization dawned on the Angel and quickly nods his head, "Understood then my Lord, they are essential to live for we must extract information by any means necessary."

"That is correct and-"

"-and they would not be able to do that unless I sheathe my sword do I?"

"-indeed they won't."

Ramiel bowed in understanding and skillfully turned his sword around and sheathed it on the bronze scabbard that hung on his waist. He nods that he was waiting the next order when a shadow loomed over the two of them while Nigun shouted from afar.

"Dominion Authority use [ **Holy Smite** ]!"

The sky split itself again as the overpowering light from the 7th Rank Spell came down from the heavens, but unlike before the spell hit the Fallen Angel. An orange hexagon field stopped the spell from even touching them, not even the force of the spell nor the rushing wind could make them flinch. Indeed, not a strand of hair, or a fluttering of their cape was felt as Ramiel stopped the spell from even hitting earth. All the humans stood dumbfounded at the overpowering defense in front of them.

Sammael could only shook his head and tiredly sigh, "Ramiel, if you would be so kind to remove this _'mindless soldier'_ in front of me."

"As you command," the guard of the Fallen smiled underneath his helmet, turned towards their enemy and aimed his left index finger at the Dominion Authority.

All eyes focused at them and in a blink of an eye Ramiel's finger gathered so much energy quickly it glowed like a small flicker of light in the night sky. It emitted a vortex-like sucking sound that reached a crescendo as everyone ducked at the mind-numbing power that the Angel of the Storm unleashed.

Ramiel's voice boomed as he stated, " **I am the Thunder of God!** [ **CRUX MORTIS** ]!"

A red beam of white purifying energy exploded from the tip of his index finger and carved itself forward without pause. Shattering the Dominion in one fell swoop, it penetrated cleanly through the Angel's armor, then past to the forest obliterating everything in its path. Before the beam passed overhead of the agents of the Slane Theocracy, their Captain quickly ordered his men to dive to the ground. Almost burying their faces to the ground, the beam passed above them without killing them, yet the back of their clothes simmered at the super heated winds passing by. The sound and force of the beam that passed overhead was like a screaming jet engine doing a low flyby, it tore through their eardrums and their ears rang with white noise with its passing. It continued to make its way towards a group of hills into the distance, its trajectory hitting the large jutting hill and enveloping an area of at least 100m radius in its incinerating glory, the energy cross jutted up to 50 ft into the air. The explosions on the hill could be felt where they all stood, even the Captain of the Re-Estize Kingdom could not believe his eyes, if the servant of these _'Supreme Beings'_ could conjure such horrific spells and magic, he could not even comprehend what their Masters could even do.

Their world will come into a disastrous end if they would trample on the sensibilities of these people, do the Noble Faction have any indication of this upset that might have befallen their plans. No doubt with a flicker of their fingers, and a waving of their hands, it would be a simple matter to erase the Kingdom from the World Map.

Nigun groaned from the pain as he moved and crawled on the ground, what in the bloody heavens was that spell? He never knew such a spell existed, or with that much potency casts so quickly, it was upon them in a blink of an eye. He tried to raise his head, but an agonizing pain on his nape assaulted him, later he would find out that it was royally sunburned while his back could still feel the hot flash of the passing magic. Looking at the Dominion Authority with dread he only gasped in horror, their trump card had a large circular gaping hole that passed through and through. The magic that maintained its form in their realm gave out and it slowly dissipated into hundreds of lights, with gnashing teeth he looked up at the armored boot that landed in front of him.

Without warning nor misplaced gentleness, a powerful grip grabbed Nigun's neck and lifted him up into the air. His body protesting not just from the pain, but from the overwhelming presence of the being in front of him, _"Tremble mortal and despair, your doom has come to this world."_

The pressure of Ramiel's full aura pushed down hard on the Scripture Commander's mind and body. It feels as if his eyes would cry out blood from just the pain. Yet through it all, amidst the crushing pain on his windpipe, and the suffocating pressure on his body, he could perfectly hear the words spoken by these beings of absolute power.

"Ramiel, I thought I told you to not letting him die. We have a use for him-"

"-but my Lord, should we not make an example of these paltry humans? "

"As soon as I have finished consolidating information, I shall personally task you all in destruction," once more his hand found its way to his shoulder, "You should know it is but child's play that we can crush their paltry city into the ashes of history. Just now now, is that clear?"

"Clear as day my Lord."

"Very good Ramiel," he then turned away as Nigun's consciousness began to slip away, "I trust you know what to do then to these- prisoners?"

"Of course my Lord, your will be done."

.

.

 **To be continued... Omake theater**

.

Nigun gasped as he opened his eyes, the last thing he remembered was fighting with an entity so powerful he had difficulty breathing just being in close proximity to it. That bluish Angel just cast one spell and the last thing he knew was a grand explosion and nothing else. He felt so out of it and so woozy he felt like he drank such powerful spirits. He grabbed his head as a sharp pain spiked on his head, but his hand didn't move, he was immobile.

Trying to actually focus now he looked at his surroundings and found he was in a small 30x30 square meter marble tile room. The chandelier light on the ceiling actually reflecting on the pristine white floor, he tried to look around but found that his head was also held down. Voicing his displeasure he found that he was even gagged, a muffled voice of protest came from him as he tried shaking off his bonds, shaking himself to at loosen his bonds.

"Oh, you are awake now I see."

A silky voice reached his ears and tried to turn his head, but the speaker reached his field of vision and he wanted to scream in such terrible fear.

 _'W-what is this monstrosity?'_

"Perhaps your binding is too tight? Allow me to introduce myself, I am called Neuronist Painkill, Chief Interrogator of the Great Tomb of Nazarick," the pasty face bloated tentacled face corpse approached him, if his eyes could recoil he would have done so, but his bindings kept him steady focused at the nightmare in front of him, "I faced the dilemma of using my methods and my ' _charm_ ' to extract information from you. But since we both are a visitor to this grand barge and in the presence of my Supreme Lords-"

The blob thing gestured to the ceiling and his eyes trailed upwards, indeed there was a glass room above them with an ample view of the chamber below. Nigun's mind finally caught up and he shivered from head to toe, the Lich and the Fallen Angel observed them up high and looked down at them as if watching the results of their experiments.

"-I have decided the most unorthodox and entertaining concept to extract information from you. The Supreme Beings would be delighted and amused at my improvisation!"

Nigun looked on in anticipated horror as a door opened on the side, a human sized shadow stepped inside and walked into the light from above. It was a human male, fair skinned and red hair, the man had an easy smile and was dressed in a peculiar dress he had never seen before.

 _'Do these monsters collaborate with the Republic?'_

The tentacle creature grinned and gestured to the humanoid looking creature in front of them, "You may begin now..."

Electro music began playing in the hidden speakers as the red haired man took out a pair of darkened glasses and began dancing left and right.

 _'We are no strangers to love, you know the rules and so do I!'  
_ _'A full commitment's what I'm thinking of,'  
_ _'You wouldn't get this from any other guy,'  
_ _'I... just want to tell you how I'm feeling, gotta make you understand,'_

 _'Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down,'  
_ _'Never gonna run around and desert you.'  
_ _'Never gonna make you cry, never gonna say goodbye,'_

 _'Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.'_

Nigun could only stare dumb-founded, is this the music of demons? Neuronist's voice came clear through the haze of mind-numbing music as Nigun tried to scream his heart out.

"Perhaps an hour or two of Rick Astley would have you crave my ministrations. But, just in case, I should ready Britney Spear _'Oops I did it again'_ and of course the accompanying automaton too," the brain eater turned and walked out of the door.

From above the two Supreme Beings looked on at the horrified and restrained former Commander of the Sunlight Scripture. The room they were in is actually a circular room that can see all the interrogation rooms from above, the other rooms held the members of the Scripture that they captured, already suffering the same fate as Nigun.

 _'She bangs, she bangs!'  
_ _'Oh baby when she moves, she moves,'  
_ _'She smells like a flower, but she stings like a bee!'  
_ _'Like every girl in history!'_

Another room held a different Scripture member suspended in the ceiling with its mouth gagged and an automaton dancing below. There was no hiding the terror and confusion in the human's face as the automation gyrated and skipped and twirled along with the beats.

 _'I'm a Barbie Girl, in a Barbie world,'  
_ _'Life in plastic, its fantastic,'  
_ _'You can brush my hair, undress me anywhere,'  
_ _'Imagination, life is your creation!'_

"I'm sure they'll love this punishment," the Supreme Beings looked at each other and headed for the door, the overlapping sounds reached their ears as Sammael grinned, "We did an exercise before and subjected ourselves in such torture before, I have to tell you that a few hours of this ' _excellent_ ' musical torture and I almost tore my eyes off."

Ainz shivered inside, "You are one scary individual Sammael-kun."

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 **Author's Note:**

Patiently re-written.

 _"Verenden du bauerin der müll" = Die you peasant trash"_

 _"Ego Imperator Sammael, concedo mi numen. Adnuto mi Sanctus Potentia = I am Commander Sammael, you shall submit to my Will. Bow before my Holy Might."_

 _"Legio et caelum, exaudi mea" = "Heavenly Legion, hear/heed me"_

Pervy Sage Chuck actually gave me the idea for the curb stomp part. (Thanks dude!)

I just hope people would give me reviews on what they think is good or bad. Come on guys, help me out here, I'm losing direction and I don't really want to go too much into canon. If I go canon its going to be boring rehash of the Overlord LN.

Cheers,

 **Scarabeye3000**


	5. The Injustice of the Gods Among Us

Disclaimer: Not mine, nor yours. Bugger then.

 **Title: Heaven or Hell**

Chapter 5 - The Injustice of the Gods Among Us

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Stellarum Nex

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Ainz sat in one of the gazebos near the cathedral as native birds fluttered about on the numerous trees lining the green hedges of the gardens of Versailles. Sammael sat across him as they discussed the previous events of Carne Village. The village was saved from the Slane Theocracy and with the firm insistence of both Ainz and Sammael, the Warrior-Captain ceded all control of the fate of all members of the Sunlight Scriptures. They were all hauled out by the red-hooded servants of the Fallen Angel, which Gazef took careful note of.

Not that Gazef could voice his protest, but since he was not able to defeat let alone escape the ambush on his own without the help of the Supreme Beings. He had no choice but to agree to the terms set forth by Ainz and Sammael. Now, that does not meant they were sent back empty handed, on the contrary they were sent back with the written journal of Nigun Grid Luin implicating numerous nobles belonging to the powerful Noble Faction of the Kingdom about the recent events and the supposed assassination of the Warrior-Captain, including a stamped order that was conveniently in the things of the former Captain of the Sunlight Scripture. With great haste he was sent back to the Capital to deal with the necessary prosecution of these individuals and their con-conspirators. Gazef was also asked to keep in confidence as long as possible what he had witnessed, banking on the words of honor and the fear that Sammael saw in his eyes, he would wager that he would done what they had asked of him if not entirely, but at least partially.

For the moment though, both must discuss what must be done to ensure the survival of their own faction, the guild Ainz Ooal Gown.

"I am not too inclined in your plan Sammael-kun, doing a pre-emptive attack on the Theocracy might not just ruffle a few feathers. They might turn turtle and hide within their shell for protection, not to mention run in panic taking the World Items with them to more obscure places we would be hard-pressed to find."

"Now, now Ainz-kun... I am only saying that we must ensure all their World Items are neutralized, by removing it out of play then we can ensure it will not affect us or bite us back in anyway. Suppose we can take them by surprise?"

The Lich sighed and tapped on the rich wooden table where their drinks were placed, "Are you certain though that World Items are being used in this world?"

"It is my firm belief that it is so," the Angel nodded gravely, "Judging from the description of our new captive Captain, then the Theocracy possesses at least one possibly more World Items. Its quite hard interpreting what he was trying to say amidst all his singing of 'Never gonna give you up'."

"Hmm," Ainz cringed at that memory, "Is there a chance for him to regain his sanity?"

The Angel shrugged his shoulders and took a sip of his tea, "Who knows... back in our world the CIA used this _'humane'_ interrogation method to great effect. Its a good thing he's still alive right? A little motivation of living and the reward of breathing fresh air once in a while is a boon for him I suppose."

"I think you are right, being strapped down by Neuronist and subjected to its ministrations could severely affect any man psychologically. We might not get much from him if we were not using your methods."

"I surmise as much after hearing their suggestions, the wealth of information though that we can get from Nigun is quite extensive, at least now we know, we are Gods upon their eyes."

Ainz nodded appreciatively, "Such information is vital to our survival, the 6 Gods they spoke off clearly pertains to other players."

"You have a point, and judging from their description, I am pretty sure that the so-called Gods were members of The Trinity or some other heterophobic guild that we encountered before. They are players just like us, but because our understanding of the lore of Ygdrassil is different from actually living to acquire the knowledge of the arcane arts, that puts us above all human beings that we encountered so far. Though I must admit, it certainly feels absurd to have one thing most men craved for all their life."

"And that is... ?"

"Immortality, our immortality granted to us by our race. An Undead Overlord and an Empyrean Commander do not technically age in any way, yet here we are enjoying tea amidst the clouds. Both ageless and immortal in the truest sense."

"Hmm, it feels weird when you say it out loud."

"Haha, if you put it that way then I guess so."

"Getting back on topic though, what do you think we need to do now?"

Sammael looked down in contemplation, "Information, information is vital for any faction or government to succeed. Language, economics, social standing, politics, religion, the masses, their staple food, including things as mundane as old stories and legends. These knowledge must be needed in order for us to plan our next move."

"How do you propose we do this Sammael-kun?"

"I don't suppose you can infiltrate the Kingdom with my General Azrael to document and study everything that can be done or can be garnered from the general populace."

"That is an excellent idea," the Lich nods in agreement, "I can bring one of the denizens of Nazarick to accompany us."

The Angel nods in agreement, "Excellent, while you infiltrate the Re-Estize Kingdom I would use my power and the rest of the General Angels to boost the scanning power of our sensors. This would help us pinpoint the World Items and their locations, although the power of our scrying might ruffle a few feathers."

"The Theocracy?"

"Could be, it would not be unprecedented since the battle against the SS, someone or something was practically scrying the whole area and it is because of the spell that you and I activated that they're probably crying their eyes out in pain."

"You're so cruel Sammael-kun, casting [ **Delay Ethereal Blindness** ]."

Sammael chuckled darkly, "We'll never know who or what is looking at you, better they see the Light in its unobstructed glory."

"Hmm, I did sent the Nazarick Guardians to scout out the area. I believe we should put your battlefleet in reserve as a precaution..."

"Or we can lie low and try to scry for the information that we need from above, I mean we are a flying ship... I can cast invisibility and we're good to go. They'll need to be on dragon back before they can see us."

Ainz nods in agreement, "We would still need boots in the ground, hmm, I have an idea... why don't we pose as adventurers so we can have at least some autonomy in the surrounding territories? You know, being adventurers in all..."

"That could also work, we can split up... I can penetrate the Baharuth Empire, while you go deal with the Re-Estize Kingdom."

"Hmm, what about our wayward Captains?"

Ainz grinned, "You mean Nigun and Gazef?"

"I suppose we can let Gazef be for now, he did give us his word-" Ainz took a sip of his own tea and sighed, ever since they discovered that the in-game feature of miscellaneous movements were also featured. They concentrated on what they want to do and they find their body moving with what they have in mind. If they thought to clap, their bodies would clap energetically like their in-game avatars, if they thought they wish to taunt, their bodies involuntarily do the taunting movements. They found out that they can do this except when they consciously stop their bodies from doing so.

Dancing was also thought about and their bodies twirled and gyrated with comical results. Eating on the other hand is a skill or ability that their in-game avatars have done. And much to Ainz's great joy his first taste of food for a long time could only be described as glorious.

"Why don't I just activate my Legio Skitarii and be done with it? Judging from the Knights that we fought, the Red Army would sweep through everywhere they marched. With every fallen and intact body, we can always reanimate it and turn them into machine."

Ainz looked appalled, "Sammael-kun, war is the last thing that we should pursue. We do not know what will happen and if we would be even successful if we ever engage in a war."

"Very well, then let us do both of our previous ideas, let us have most of our forces search and try to see where the World Items could be, while we both strategically penetrate the Kingdom and the Empire."

"Excellent, I agree with this plan- how about Nigun?"

Sammael stroked his chin as he puts down the tea cup on the table, "I have a plan in mind."

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Many hours has passed since his last session being Rick Rolled, and that dreaded twerking dance of the false blonde female demon with the horrible tongue wagging called Smiley Kyruos finished. Nigun squinted as he heard the banging of the steel door on his cell. Quickly sitting upright, he feared another session with the torturous nightmare music he was forced to endure as he recoiled at the sight in front of him. A masked human, with iron limbs stepped inside carrying a spear made of a metal that thrummed with energy.

A magic weapon?

Most likely, he could not dismiss the notion since it could only be so considering the wondrous things he had seen. What followed behind was another metal-like human that was partially hidden by a red robe draped over its body. The tech adept squinted with his remaining human eye and rubbed his two palms together.

"Ah! The meatbag is awake... good, good."

 _'Is it talking to me?'_ Nigun dared not to move, only staring at him in silence.

"My scans of your brain indicate increased mental alertness, good, you will need all your mental fortitude in facing the Supreme Beings."

"Supreme Beings?" the Captain of the Scripture gasped, the winged Angels and the black-robed magic caster.

"Yes, unremarkable meatbag... it is not in my programming to question the eternal logic and arithmetical solutions of the Supreme Beings, and what-" the adept looked at him from head to toe and then back while shaking its head, "-do the Gods even see at you to deem you worthy of their audience."

Nigun's heart skipped a beat as he remembered the bone-crushing pressure exerted by the Supreme Being. Now that he had calmed down somewhat, he tried to analyze and remember the situation he had back then. Contrary to what most believe in, he was antagonistic, has a great superiority complex, and typical nasty behavior of a fascistic outlook in life. Yet, he was intelligent, analytical, and logical. He thinks like a machine and works like it, not only by familial influence did he become a Captain of the Sunlight Scripture, but he was actually the best at what he does. His pride though tends to overlook the dangers that would seem evident to other people. Yet he was completely oblivious to it, probably due to his overwhelming pride with a touch of narcissism thrown in.

"You will come and make yourself presentable in the presence of the Supreme Being."

He was led outside of his prison room as the Skitarii gripped his upper arm and shoved him forwards. Before when he would begin his torture, they would put blindfolds on his eyes and earmuffs on his ears to remove his hearing. But now, this was the first time that they allowed him to see where they were keeping him. It was a maze of corridors that was dimly lit by candlelight and a permeating smell like those of incense mixed with engine oil reached his nostrils. Judging from the clank of his boots on the floor, the whole building they were in was made of metal. In fact, judging from the numerous times they went up and down the stairs, he estimated that with all the iron he had seen, they could have easily outfitted a three battalion of knights with full plate armor with their shields, weapons, and enough raw materials to spare.

Yet they just used it for building materials, it was truly absurd, and a complete waste of metal.

He was still contemplating what he had garnered so far when he stepped out into a high cat walk that overlooked a large room below. It was like looking at a valley, as the walkway was several feet from the ground. He gasped as he saw battalions, upon battalions of the same red robed humanoid iron man that maintained its deathly grip on his upper arm forming smartly into battle lines. No doubt all are armed with magical weapons, but not only that numerous other metal creatures that walked on two, three, and even four legged beast made of the same iron he saw. He could not believe his eyes, yet more were to come, he finally saw the two gigantic cylinders that run parallel to the metallic hallway. He stopped midstep to ogle, but it was not meant to be-

"Keep moving meatbag!"

The Skitarii legionnaire shoved him forward as he almost lost his footing stepping inside another set of corridors. They finally arrived at the end of the hallway and he was put inside a bare room where grotesque looking humanoid creatures stood motionless. His captor, the tech adept stepped back and spoke in a loud mechanical voice.

"Adept Biologis M4314, initiate cleansing protocol sigma 6 rho."

There was a horrible grinding sound and the two humanoid creatures shambled forward, their brown cloaks covering their faces, yet the four extra metallic limbs sprouting from its back quickly spelled trouble for Nigun. He could not even stepped back as the Skitarii warriors prodded him forward with their spear, the creatures managed to grabbed hold onto his arms and began dragging him towards a tub of water that appeared from the bare floor. If he had a guess, he knew what would happen next, and sure enough the second creature grabbed hold of his clothes and began taking it off one by one. With a few wayward limbs he was finally exposed as a babe and unceremoniously dropped to the cold liquid. He spluttered to the surface as the creatures began brushing him from head to toe. Not gently mind you, but almost peel your skin off brushing. They scrubbed him clean until his skin was almost red and raw, and quickly dressed him in his overalls. The creatures that were helping him dress up had its hood slip away and he looked horrified at one of the men they paid to act as Knights of the Baharuth Empire and was tasked to slaughter civilians. He had a rubber hose coming out of his right neck and his eyes were glazed over. There was a savage wound on his chest that was seemed to be sewn together and held in place by large staples. He tried to call out the man behind the mutilated body, but was met with deathly silence, the cold logic of a machine replacing the once breathing human.

Shocked and horrified, the Skitarii grasped his arm again and shoved him outside, they followed the Adept as he began to make his way upwards. Again, more metal could be seen as the stairs, roof, walls, almost everything he sees was made with metal.

"Listen well meatbag," the Adept who walked in front of them spoke again in its harsh mechanical voice, "Our Lord Sammael is a merciful lord, he had bestowed us a great responsibility and honored us his creations to be the primary fighting force of Nazarick. Hold your tongue unless spoken to, or face the wrath of his Generals. I also do not need to remind you of your previous attitude with your first meeting with him. You would do well to be humble in his presence."

He didn't need to be told twice, their powers were truly mighty and he could not forget the overpowering feeling he had felt. They finally arrived at a grand staircase that stepped up to a bright opening. Even though he was refreshed from the bath that he just had, their walk- trek was still tiring that when he reached the top of the grand staircase. He could only gasp at the brightness of the vast sky stretching before him, a sprawling garden lay before him as he tried to grasp where he was. They were parallel to the clouds, were they beside a mountain, but this is impossible! The only mountain he had known that is near enough would be the Azerlisia Mountains and that would take 3 days of hard riding on horseback to reach. Yet here they were, in the middle of a sprawling garden that would put the garden in the Central Cathedral to shame. Birds fluttered everywhere, and tasteful marble artwork can be seen in measured intervals around, hundreds of flags flew in the strong wind as he tried to soak everything with his eyes.

"As mentioned before, keep moving meatbag, Lord Sammael has waited for us long enough."

He kept looking at the decorations and scrutinized the monuments, all the statues were life-like, humans and demi-humans in various poses showcasing beauty in the eyes of the beholder. The ascetic of the place was not lost on Nigun who enjoyed the beauty of things, his gaze kept shifting to the numerous flags fluttering about.

"What do those flags represent?"

The tech adept did not look back and kept walking, but answered with its mechanical voice, "If you must know insignificant flesh heap, those flags represent every single army that the Red Army, our army has destroyed. Led by Lord Sammael our Warmaster, he had collected each and every flag of a rival God that he fought. The wargear of the defeated God that he acquired was made into the Crimson Skull Throne, a throne that showcases the victory of the Supreme Being against their adversary and their eternal supremacy from beyond the heavens."

If he could be shocked even more he did not show it, but just the knowledge of these numerous flags represented a God is just mind-blowing. Surely, this must be untrue, yet he felt the power of this Lord Sammael and could not help believing it to be true.

They finally reached the end of the walkway and the Theocracy Captain's eyes bugged out. The Cathedral of Notre Dame was an architectural wonder, its Gothic buttresses invoke a sense of dark grandeur and silence as a subtle sense of piety wiggled its way into his heart. They turned to the side and reached a gazebo, the Skitarii released the grip on his upper arm as the adept stepped slowly up to the gazebo and bowed respectfully.

Inside, Nigun saw the Angel that he fought with a while ago sipping his beverage while sitting leisurely on a lounge chair.

His wings were gone, rather he probably kept it hidden as he looked at him with a little smile on his face. By the Gods, the Angel had the perfect face of a human, big golden eyes, long eyelashes, glowing skin burnished by the sun, long flowing black hair, a strong jaw and a powerful presence. Nigun expected a fearsome face befitting a warrior, yet he did not expect such an awe-inspiring figure to strike him.

"You look well Theocracy Captain, considering you have suffered much," the pearly white teeth shone as it peeked when he smiled, "Sit and let us talk."

Tentatively, Nigun sat down on one of the plush chairs and tried to relax. Well, tried to at least, quite a feat to think that your face to face with a being that could literally rip you to shreds without blinking an eye. And can command legions, and rumor has it killed almost hundreds of Gods in his wake that he displays his trophy on his garden in the sky. What have he gotten himself into?

Sensing his uneasiness, Sammael smiled and said, _"Be at ease Nigun~"_ the stiff shoulders slumped a bit as he continued, _"I know you merely perform the duties of your office, misguided by old fools that let you fight the battles they cannot win~ No worries, I understand~"_

A sense of togetherness and familiarity tugged at Nigun, _'He understands, can- can it be true? Is he truly a God?'_

 _"Share your thoughts with me, you call me a God yet I enjoy my banter with mortals~"_

 _'What is he talking about?'_ the man's cheeks were flushed as he digested the words of the Supreme Being, _'Why do I feel so when he lowers himself in my eyes? Can he not see the power he holds- his sway on me-'_

Nigun almost gasped but kept a straight face, he was a master poker face if his calm demeanor stayed.

 _"On the contrary, I make mistakes... thus I am not a perfect God. In fact, I am more close to a human than you can ever thought possible~"_

"I- I do not believe that Lord-"

 _"Oh? He has found his tongue... finally, some intelligent conversation.~"_

Nigun paused and tried to breathe his head was slightly bowed and his eyes focused on the artificer boots that Sammael wore, "Why have you summoned me?"

Sammael waved his hand and a tall glass of a yellow liquid beverage was brought forth by another creature covered in red robes, it carried small daggers on the side, but the Commander dare not grab it. He knew it would be futile to fight, but the drink made him suspicious as hell. Why would they treat him like this now? Tortured and subjected to such harrowing experiences? Then served a strange beverage? Why?

 _"You are thinking why you are being treated as such~"_ Sammael smiled again and puts down his beverage and stood up, _"Surely I would not let your transgression go unpunished~ You raised your hands against me, although I can understand you being completely unaware of my power, thus attacked me, but you did it in accordance to the functions of your duty.~"_

 _'Such- such generosity,'_ the human gulped as he still held his gaze into the ground, "I- I do not understand My Lord... what do you need of me?"

 _"I have a need of your skills Nigun~ Your paltry God, who is a mere survivor of my genocide does not merit your skills~ I still have a use for you hence, your continued survival~._ "

Continued survival? Survivor of my genocide? A use for me? Use me for what? Nigun hung on each word as the Theocracy Commander felt like buckets of ice-cold water was poured on his head with every absurd statement he heard. The Angel stepped to the side and looked over to the world below, he beckoned for the human to approach and reluctantly obliged. His eyes almost popped out of its sockets as he saw where they were, from where he stood he can see the glittering spires of the Azerlisia Mountains proving that they were not in the mountain. But if they were not in a mountain, where were- no- impossible. He stepped back as realization dawned on him, he managed to reach his seat and sat down. The smile on the Angel as Sammael looked down on him with amusement on his eyes, he approached Nigun and takes the glass of beverage and said, "Drink and relax... you will need it."

"We- we are-" he gulped the drink and his eyes sparkled as the beverage washed through his lips and tongue. He looked down at it and felt awed at its taste, it was sweet, but not with the overwhelming sweetness of sugar. Rather, it was the sweetness of fruits that assaulted his senses. It was creamy, thick and very luxurious as it rolled through his palette.

"What is this beverage? Where am I? Why me?"

Sammael stood before him and said, "That drink is called a simple mango nectar (mango sweetened with honey), You are in my flying Battle Barge the _'Stellarum Nex'."_

"What you are feeling right now is shock, unbearable shock of knowing whatever you were brought to believe has been thrown off a cliff. It is the feeling of your crumbling faith crashing down on you? Your source of power and pride torn asunder, your belief in your 6 Gods shattered, you cried out their name more than once, but they never did hear you."

Sammael turned and stepped behind him, he puts a surprisingly gentle hand on his shoulders, much too gentle for someone who possessed such great power.

"You have not seen your God, nor will even attain half or a modicum of their power, yet here I am before you... willing to bless you beyond your wildest dreams."

He opened his gauntleted hand, "I command an army that could burn the whole world, every warrior who fell bolsters our ranks, every hero who dies a new champion fights for me. But, therein their glories end, thus, I have a need for you. A human champion that can go further."

"Embrace me as your God, and I shall grant you power that is more than you would ever thought possible. Embrace me as your God, and you shall lead my army only lesser than my Angelic Generals. Embrace me as your God and I will give you the power to destroy your enemies and tore their high places asunder."

"I have seen your heart Nigun and you desire power, you craved it and thought attained it by serving a False God. Yet your Gods kept you at bay, never teaching, never blessing, never granting you power except those that relied on summons too weak to even wipe the dirt from my feet."

Sammael snapped his fingers and a spot near them combusted into a roaring flame, " Behold, I will show you your potential, [ **Summon Archangel Flame** ]"

Golden plate armor with white accents erupted in the middle of the flames, a corinthian helmet with dark menacing visors filled with golden eyes looked back at him. Steel, individual, feathery wings, and a long lance with a cylindrical instrument at the top. All in all, it was an impressive sight, the angel had sentience. A far cry from those that the Theocracy summoned.

 _'Why is he so powerful? What is a mango?'_ He thought bitterly, _'Why do the powers I learned from the Theocracy seemed insignificant compared to his power?'_

"Supreme Being," Nigun's voice trembled and he dared not meet the eyes of the being in front of him, "What do you need of me..."

Sammael stood on the edge of the gazebo overlooking the magnificent view of the Azerlisia Mountains and said, "I need you to go back to the Theocracy, to be my Herald, to sow discord among the servants of the 6 Gods. To weaken them without force of arms, but with gradual subtlety... they must embrace our coming with much singing and dancing."

Nigun thought he was lost, such an endeavor on his own? How? "My Lord, I am but one man... how?"

"YOU CANNOT DO ANYTHING ALONE!" a loud thud came from outside as a blue plate armored angel landed on the stone floor, "You are weak, blind with pride and above all things foolish." Ramiel stepped forth and entered the gazebo, he removed his helm revealing a handsome face with no mark at all. Placing his helmet at the lavish table he sat on one of the chairs and poured himself a drink of juice. "So foolish to think you can even scratch my paint job... huhu hwahaha!"

The laughter was full of spite and the barb on his weakness was personally insulting, but Nigun took it silently, what can he do? Rise up and try to fight? He would be smothered with their overpowering presence in an instant, destroyed without even batting an eyelash.

"Give the human a chance," another angel landed with a 'THUD' outside and entered the shaded gazebo, "Besides, if our Lord deems him to be worthy, who are we to judge?"

"That is your viewpoint Baraqiel, is there no one else-?" Ramiel interjected as he slammed the glass crystal now devoid of the juice on the heavy wooden table.

"Enough," Leliel followed inside, his every step was silent and a dark miasma seemed to follow him everywhere, it seemed even darker with the all black plate armor and war scythe resting on his armored back, "Brother, you are bordering blasphemy by countering our Lord's words-"

Nigun can only reel back, the presence of so many Angels that could level cities was mind-boggling. The power displayed by the blue armored one was already inhuman, but to be gathered here in such number. How many are they anyway?

"Enough all of you, we will truly see if he is faithful or not," Sammael stood in front of the human and looked into his eyes, "I will only ask one more time Nigun. If you do not wish to do so, when you wake up again you will be within the arms of your Cardinals. A little beat-up, but otherwise alive and well. Until you remember that I will descend down on your Theocracy and wipe them from the face of this land if they resist me."

"Or you can wake-up, much, much stronger than you are. Confident that you can hold your own against the most powerful this World has to offer."

Sammael stood in his full height and looked down at the kneeling human, "Would you embrace me as your God?"

Nigun's forehead touched the white marble floor as he breathed, "Yes," there would be no other answer.

Suddenly he was lifted and he found Ramiel standing in front of him blocking him from view, he was about to voice his protest when Leliel and Baraqiel also stood slightly behind Ramiel and acted as a wall between him and Sammael. This time he really stood up and opened his mouth to speak, but a gauntleted hand stop him.

"Don't be foolish, they protect your frail human self," Zadkiel steps behind him and gestures towards Lord Sammael who had donned his familiar horned skull mask, "He would need to unleash his full glory, and you would be slain by the pressure alone."

Nodding his head indicating that he understood, the tension in the air suddenly froze up, all noise from the wind stilled and he felt everything stop. Sammael's presence suddenly exploded and engulfed them, Ramiel stood ramrod straight as the other Angels flanked Nigun. He could feel himself feeling hotter and hotter as the Fallen Angel began donning his Fallen Empyrean façade.

" _ **Testimonium meum ascendit**_ ," the Fallen's wings sprouted from his back, individually feathered, but unlike before where it was as white as snow and glittered with golden flecks forming on its edges. Right now, it was obsidian black, shiny and foreboding like the night. His armor and gauntlets glittered with numerous runes that he could not read its meaning, the age of the armor looked centuries old and the gauntlets turned into clawed fingers, his exposed skin glowed and every aspect of his numerous scars was highlighted, from his back the golden halo that rested there burned with such intense fire it threatened to blind him without mercy. Yet Nigun can only look in fright as his new 'God' transformed in front of him.

The former Captain felt fear crawl through his body as Sammael looked at him, the horned mask began having marks on it like a black tattoo, the horns took a more bony texture as his hair billowed behind him. The golden halo he bore threw its light everywhere as he turned towards them, as soon as he took the first step Zadkiel gasped and bowed down his eyes closed, Nigun noticed as the Fallen approached that one by one those that flanked him began going down on their knees. He was pulled down together with Zadkiel, Leliel and Baraqiel, all kneeling at his side, the only one still standing was Ramiel a testament to his title being the Shield of God, but Nigun could not dismiss the thought that the blue Angel was actually bowed down. This brought more fear on him as he remembered the single moment when he felt a portion of his power as a Supreme Being.

 _" **Nigun Grid Luin, I mark you as a servant of Nazarick,** " _Sammael raised his left hand as the kneeling human saw power gathered on the clawed fingers of the raised hand, the overwhelming might and power crashed against his wall of Angels as he felt a single tear roll down his eyes. He could not deny that the vision he is seeing brought such profound happiness in seeing raw power in front of him.

 _ **"Potentia ad sacrificium... et doloris,** " _the Fallen Angel slowly moved his left hand forward as the sudden realization of him being imbued with power was finally absorbed by his brain.

 _" **Quod universum remunerator fit promptus est... sanguinem funder potest promissionem.** "_

The glowing gauntleted left hand thrummed with power as it penetrated the protective cocoon of the four Angels, its heat radiated outwards and a cold dread gripped Nigun, the glowing hand would scald him and surely scar him more, " _ **Let this scar signify your allegiance to me and the sundering of your old vows, let none strike you again, while you carry my immortal Favor~**_ [ **Radiant Hand of Blessing** ]."

The palm pierced through the protective shield that was put up by the Angelic Generals as a cold hand touched his right cheek.

"Do you fear death?" Sammael softly asked.

Power thrummed as the gauntleted hand held half of his face, bravely the human looked into the eyes of his new God. Filling his heart with courage he grits his teeth and answered.

"As long as I am under your service my Lord, I do not fear death."

Pain exploded through his head from the right side of his head overwhelming him, an ear-splitting ringing splits Nigun's mind as he tumbled again into the arms of unconsciousness.

.

.

Baharuth Empire

.

Nine carriages raced through the country side as they headed for the Baharuth Empire's capital, all the carriages were of sturdy make pulled by four horses, each laden with merchandise and men as they thundered through the country road like a bat out of hell. Their drivers wore red hooded men that carried exotic weapons, repeating crossbows, longbows, spears and an assortment of swords. They flew the flag of Sammael on all the carriages as they fluttered mightily in the wind. Inside the lead coach Sammael lounged on the carriage's luxurious seat, Zadkiel in full plate armor sat across from him as Leliel held the horse's reins driving the lead carriage with Baraqiel sitting beside him riding shotgun.

From behind, the other carriages kept up with their speed, with their numerous merchandise on board the carriages, they raced through the land to the capital. Suddenly, Leliel's head perked up and signaled to Baraqiel who climbed down from the driver chair to the side of the carriage door.

"My Lord, we have crossed the territory of the Baharuth Empire, we should reach their nearest city shortly."

"Acknowledged, keep me posted would you."

"Aye sir," and Baraqiel returned to his seat.

"My Lord, how do we plan to subdue this Empire if it rivaled the Theocracy in its power. Additionally, bringing our military might to bear would be our last course of action. Though it can considerably increase the date on which we can subjugate this territory, should we not consider it so?"

Sammael stretched and tried to relax, his folded wings sinking deeper into the cushions, "I have made all 8 of you Angels to focus on your military strength and to always resolve numerous issues using your own might. However, think of this as an exercise for you to reach a higher plane."

"What do you mean my Lord?"

"Imagine a world where I do not exist-"

"I dare not!" Zadkiel looked scandalized and he looked so fearful that he tried to cover his face with his wings, "Such a world cannot exist my Lord. We would have no direction and I fear we devolve into base beings that would be too much for us even to handle."

"I understand your thoughts, but I would like all of you to learn, to adapt, to judge appropriately what is wrong and what is right."

"I am not saying me or even Ainz would go, but his wish and mine are the same, we would like all of you to learn, to grow. To understand at least a bit of our plans, to grasp the skeins of fate that we have held in our minds. To be like us in a way, no, not like us entirely, but certain aspects that is undeniably ours but diversified with your own choices and mind."

Zadkiel nods slowly, in his mind the very idea of their Warmaster and Creator dead or gone was unfathomable, but his wishes to rule the world and for them to learn on their own are all tall orders. He was already content with his current knowledge and would not normally seek out more. But since it is the will of their Lord, then he would at least try.

Baraqiel's face came up to the door again and said, "My Lord, the first fortress city of the Empire is in our sights. Shall we try to establish trade?"

"I suppose it is best if we go to the local Lord's estate," Sammael flapped his wings and folded it out of sight on his back, "Very well, let us not tarry."

The horses were reigned in as they slowed down to more perceptively human-like speeds as they raced forward before augmented with their own powers. The Steeds of Friesia were the warhorse of the Valkyries in Yggdrassil, in the in-game lore they were tireless horses, able to run for a week without food or rest, incredibly intelligent and perceptive. Their brown red eyes allow them to see well in the darkness, while it reduces glare from the bright rays of the midday sun. The caravan reached the main gates as the guards stood in attention to the arriving group.

"You have reached the Fortress City of Solsticium, what is your purpose here?"

Baraqiel smiled as he alighted from the carriage, he used his staff as a walking stick and approached the guard. Respectfully he bowed like a human and met the eyes of the guard, "Greetings, I am Baramus, servant of Sammael, merchant of spice, wares, exotic weapons and magic items."

"I am Krogan, Captain of the Solsticium Guards," the Captain stepped from behind his soldier and nodded his head, "And from where do you hail?"

Baraqiel bowed again, "We came from the lands beyond the seas, past the Azerlisia Mountain pass, through the Forest of Tob and finally here."

"Azerlisia Mountains? Did you not pass the Re-Estize Kingdom first?"

The disguised Angel smiled and twirled two pairs of defaced gold coins he approached the Captain, "Certainly we did, but we have come here instead after gaining knowledge that the Empire is more prestigious than the Kingdom in terms of wealth. Additionally, we learned that the Empire's bureaucracy and military is much friendly to err... _new business opportunities._ "

Deftly, Baraqiel managed to slip the two gold coins inside the slits on the Captains gauntlets. The Captain took the two gold coins and inspected it, pure gold the man thought as he tested their weight. He would need to take it later to the trade guilds for verification, the Captain smiled and inclined his head, he looked at Baraqiel's eyes and said.

"Welcome to the Fortress City of Solsticium, do you require escorts to the Lords Estate?"

"If you may please, we might get lost in your city."

"Take this," he signaled to a soldier behind him and it scurried forward carrying a roll of parchment with a wax seal, "Carry this to the Lord's Estate, this will be your introduction papers. If you have a scribe just instill your name and it will be so, if you need a scribe I can arrange one for you."

"Ah, you are much gracious sir, but this is enough for us. We do have scribes on our own however, about that escort that you offered."

Krogan turned again and gestured to another guard, "This man will take you to the Lord's Estate. May the grace of the Gods be upon you."

"And upon you good Captain," he bowed down and headed for the carriage, their soldier-guide climbed up to the carriage with them as Leliel made more room. The rein were whiplashed across the horses rumps and the convoy rolled forward. As they passed the main gate and it's garrison, Captain Krogan can't seem to turn away from the flag that proudly flew on all the carriages.

It had a black double headed eagle emblem with wings spread wide, the first eagle's eyes burned with a proverbial light while the other's was closed and a shroud covering it, its claws were clutching lightning while the other one carried an olive branch. From behind the image of the eagle was superimposed in the back, is an Eight-Pointed Star with words he cannot even read.

He felt a bit troubled seeing that symbol, as it seemed to be a battle standard instead of a merchant's flag. He dismissed the thought and walked back inside his office, he would need to finish quickly for the day because he needed the services of the trade guild today. Krogan scoffed, let the Lord handle him now.

With the soldier-guide riding beside Leliel, Baraqiel joined Zadkiel and Sammael inside the carriage. He settled down and felt the carriage move forward while presenting his Lord with the scroll.

The Fallen grinned and inspected the piece of parchment, "It seems like everywhere we go humans are the same?"

"My Lord?"

"Nothing Baraqiel, I just never thought that our 'little bribe' would have worked wonderfully. Did you use any charm against him?"

"No my Lord."

"Very good indeed," the angel tried to hide his grin with a bow, "With this I hope we can deal with this Lord and have proper wares to take to the Imperial Capital. When we reach the estate, I would be the one talking to the human Lord, is that clear?"

Both of the Angels bowed in understanding and replied in unison, "Yes, my Lord."

.

A few minutes later

.

The convoy finally arrived at the local Lord's Estate, numerous maids lined up to greet them as the soldier from the gate rushed up to the butler of the house and whispered hurried words. He then ran to the door of the carriage where Baraqiel was waiting as Zadkiel also alighted from the carriage. The three exchanged words until Baraqiel handed a lesser sized gold coin and slipped it into the hand of the soldier who bowed and went on his way. The butler of the household approached and bowed down.

"Good afternoon to you good sirs, may I have the name of the merchant so I can properly address them so and of his company."

"My name is Zadicus, and my colleague Baramus, we are both the adjutant, scribe and assistant of our esteemed Master, Samuel of Cadia."

The butler didn't seemed too fazed at the name, but instead nodded his head dutifully and stepped back inside. An elder maid faced the two waiting Angels and bowed, "I am Maria the Head Maid, please follow me to the receiving area."

Zadkiel bowed in acknowledgement and turned to the carriage's door. He knocked on the wooden panel and said, "My Lord we await your arrival."

The whole carriage moved as Sammael or rather Samuel came to the door and stepped down the carriage's steps. The head maid and all the others that lined up gasped as he stepped down, being an Angel he could take any form that is ascetically pleasing to all who beheld him. Long flowing black hair and violet eyes, an aristocratic nose and cheekbone, broad shoulders and matching cuirass and Y-fronts that fitted him perfectly. He looked around and absorbed the admiring gazes of the maids and servants that surrounded him. Samuel turned behind him and called out, "Lily, we require a gift appropriate for the Lord of the House."

The driver of the carriage passed the reins to another red-hooded servant and went down, he began to rummage objects left and right. Samuel followed the Head Maid as they all walked inside. Now, the estate wasn't too big, clearly it was meant to be for a frontier family, but what's different is that there doesn't seem to be too much objects of high value. They were led into a large receiving room that had a view of the front gardens, from afar, the numerous carriages were parked side to side ready to leave in a moment's notice. Samuel was contemplating the house when the butler returned and crisply said, "Arriving, Magistrate Tibian, to meet Sir Samuel of Cadia."

And finally the Master of the House comes in with a bit of a flourish, well, if you think the swishing of a cape a tad of flourish then your welcome to do so. The Magistrate was a man of advanced age, probably in his 50's, with a hair full of white and a limp in his gait. But his eyes held the sharpness of a wolf, and his shoulder carried the burden of a Commander. Samuel's eyes were taken, he was looking at an old warrior, a General maybe or lesser, but nevertheless, a military man if he had seen one. He chose the Empire since the information they gathered was that the Empire had a standing army, a professional army that is not bolstered by militia rather professional reserves that train once a month. It was like a reflection of their own world, the army of both South Korea and Israel back then were relatively small, yet their citizenry were all soldiers or had been soldiers at one time in their life. Conscription is probably the norm here, then after sometime you go back to civilian life, it was the way back then. And it seems it was the way here too, in the New World.

"A pleasure to meet you Magistrate," Samuel walked over and bowed respectfully, "I am a humble merchant, Samuel of Cadia."

The wolf-like eyes squinted and a smile graced the old and wizened features, "Likewise, 'tis a pleasure indeed to greet you welcome Samuel of Cadia, please sit down."

They were guided towards the shaded veranda that overlooked the sweeping gardens as Master Tibian gestured them to sit, once seated the Fallen nods his head once and Leliel appeared out of nowhere, he carried a lacquer chest that he presented in front of the Magistrate. Samuel gestured to the older man to help himself and Tibian reached out and opened the chest, he gasped as he saw what is inside even the butler took a small peek and his eyes bugged out.

"Please accept this gift from this... humble merchant."

Inside was a breast plate made of a black steel with an 8 pointed star etched in the middle, Leliel took another longer lacquer box and opened it. This time an English Longsword could be seen from behind the box. Trying not to sound too pleased with the gifts Tibian smiled and nods his head appreciatively.

"I am honored to receive such gifts, yet you have not given me due on what you are doing here and to what end do you mean to our Empire?"

Samuel sighed and said, "I am a wanderer and procurer of odds and ends that would appeal to all manner of elites and masses. Aside from my dream of exploring and adventure I would like to peddle my wares in this region and compile numerous knowledge that is not know to me."

"Such as...?"

"Well, I can see that this side of the Empire serves beverages mainly made from the produce in the surrounding area however, once you cross the Azerlisia Mountains different animals and plants and people can be found therefore, the same drink is not prepared at the same manner. Additionally, cuisine is one thing that I would like to know and of course customs of the people and the places that I have set my foot upon."

At this explanation Tibian smiled, "I commend you on such lofty aims, can you show me at least some of the information you have garnered thus far."

"Of course," Samuel snapped his fingers and Lily came over with another box that is roughly 4 square meters in length and width with a height of 2 inches. He opened it in the middle and the Magistrate's eyes widened, he had never seen this map before. It was a large map of the Old World.

"What is this place? Alkebulan?"

The Fallen smiled and pointed to the diagram on the side of the map, there were divisions were supposedly territories were established. You can look at one side of the map and look for the description and any useful information in the sides, additionally, the scale of the map is 1=100mi, meaning that many of the countries in this Alkebulan continent was much larger than the whole Baharuth Empire. Magistrate Tibian wets his lips in disbelief, this man has gone to lands beyond the borders of their world and he only wish adventure, he sat down again satisfied at the things he had seen.

"This is fascinating indeed, we must discuss this over at lunch, I insist."

Samuel smiled and gestured to his three men, "If you would allow my three assistants to cook, you will find them most proficient in the kitchen as well."

"Very well," all three of the hidden Angels were led off by the Head Maid to the kitchen so they can prepare lunch, Sammael or rather Samuel took another box, this time made of mahogany and a flask of pure silver in his hand, "I must say Samuel, your bearing reflects a highly cultured individual, are you a Noble of Cadia?"

"I must say no, Cadia is a country of traders and craftsmen that ply their work every where in our continent. I am just one of the few that managed to reach the outside world without managing to settle down or have been quite extremely lucky and fortunate."

After half a day of socializing, he bid farewell the Magistrate and quickly headed to the market square.

On the market, Sammael formed a half-circle of the 9 carriages he brought along with him as they peddled their numerous wares in the middle of the square. Repeating crossbows, excellent weapons and armors, including food stuff from the Old World were peddled upon as they sold, bought and traded whatever they can. The numerous Magos peddled their crafted works, from low level HP and MP potions, up to those that offered numerous buffs or enhancement although on a very low grade that it would be useless in Yggdrasil yet very, very valuable in the New World.

A good example would be a Potion of Dexterity and Agility, once the potion is drunk, the person would notice an increase in his speed. Which would tactically be useful in escape and in the heat of battle, additionally there are other potions that enhances the Strength and Fortitude, and of course Magical Capabilities. They also sold numerous magical weapons, although these weapons are considered low-level type weapons and could never touch a single hair of the Supreme Beings, against normal humans however, it would be very devastating.

Swords that spew fire with every swing, or shoots out a stream of black tar, or even a dagger that dripped potent poisons that no Apothecary in the New World could even synthesize an antidote yet. It felt like a caravan from the Gods had descended and offered their wares at the people.

Those few nobles that managed to cling to their wealth were a great fan of the spirits they also offered, the drink called Sparrow's Rum, and Barbossa's Whiskey, were all snatched up. Including Ivan's Vodka, a rather obscure drink that Sammael thought off was also bought off. They literally flew off the shelves due to the clamoring of the people.

Additionally, the ladies of the household were not left with out.

For numerous jewelries, made of gold, silver, and white gold which is a relatively new type of jewelry, glittered before their eyes. Gone were the complex and rich designs that was prevalent of the time, instead they were made with intricate patterns so complex, no jeweler or lapidary could have copied the design, thus the ladies also were given their own items to be sold to. Not to mention the many dresses that the carriages seemed to carry, or so quick to make, in fact the dresses were all design with a single template with very few were addition to the designs of the dress depending on the buyer's preferences of course. It included numerous colors that could not be easily replicated by their tannery, colors such as Royal Blue, Bright Purple, and Pink for heavens sake were all gobbled up by the wedded women and young ladies.

After almost a day of trading, Sammael sent a gift of their finest bourbon to the Magistrate and headed for Arwintar, the capital of the Baharuth Empire.

They passed other small cities and towns, instead making a beeline towards the Capital. After a day, they finally arrived at night time on the Southern gates. Numerous fire pyres lined the city gates as soldiers kept every entrance barred and guarded. Once more, Zadkiel or rather Zadicus with Baramus or Baraqiel standing beside him presented their letter of recommendation from Magistrate Tibian.

Even though the gates are barred and guarded, and it is against security protocol to unseal the gates. The soldiers were _'persuaded'_ to finally open the gates after gifts were brought out leaving the Commander extremely pleased with himself and the dress he would take home to his wife later. Not to mention a small barrel of new liquor that they left for the garrison, the soldiers could not even wait to open the gates in service to the _'humble merchant'_ that wanted to enter the city.

They headed for the 'Singing Apple Pavilion' to settle down for the night, Baramus and Zadicus walked up to the front desk and smiled down at the person in front of the counter.

"Room for two?" she cheerfully asked as noticeably blushed at the sight of two handsome noble men before her.

The two Angels looked at each other and said, "Err, actually no- we're not that way."

"Yes, we actually would like your finest rooms to be occupied tonight."

"Oh? A whole floor for you two perhaps?"

Baramus gripped his staff tighter as a vein popped in his head, "Miss, I would like to reiterate that we are not lovers-"

The woman looked taken aback at his statement, "Oh dear, forgive me my Lords. Its just that we are having a promo tonight and well-" she gestured to a large sign on the side of the counter. Clearly written in red bold letters were the words 'Lover's Night - Couples Only'.

Baramus looked livid as Zadicus actually chuckled and shook his head, "Dear miss, please reconsider... we have come from afar and we are travelling merchants. My master would like to stay for the night, even the week, could you please reconsider and allow us lodgings?"

She smiled coyly and said, "How many rooms would you like?"

"Well, we have 9 carriages of merchandise, and approximately 30 Skitarii and 10 Servitors, not to mention our Master requires one room for himself."

"I see," she cheerfully said and tapped on her chin, "We can rent you the whole 2nd floor and half the 3rd floor that roughly equates to 10 rooms 3 medium rooms and 2 of our largest."

"That would be sufficient," Baramus took out a bag of gold and presented it to the woman and began to walk away, he turned to Zadicus and whispered, "Not a word of the Lover's Night to Lord Sammael."

Zadicus gave another chuckle and sighed, "Agreed."

.

.

 **To be continued... omake theater**

.

Nigun Grid Luin opened his eyes as a numbing pain assaulted his senses, damn, where was the horse that trampled him anyway. He sat up straight and tried to focus his eyes, he saw something red move across from him and he turned to the red-robed figure behind him.

"Ah! Finally, the former meat-bag is now awake."

A name mysteriously reached his mind and he spoke it to address the figure, "I'm a former meat-bag now, Magos Biologis M4314?"

"Oh wonderful, at least we know your most recent blessings work. You can perfectly recall my name."

"Blessings? W-what do you mean?" he puts his hands into his head and felt an angry scar on his right face, he looked up and found the Magos was actually carrying a mirror in front of him. He stood up and staggered forward, knees weak from an unknown strain that he had endured, his body felt no pain yet obviously tired. Finally, he approached the Magos and finally saw his face. A large scar where the Supreme Being touched him can be seen clearly marked to his skin, but instead of an angry looking scar, it formed an 8-pointed star that looked more like a birthmark as natural as a mole.

"W-what is this?"

"We shall see former meat-bag," the Magos stood up and beckoned him to a side door. He followed the Magos and he was led into a large circular room with four brown robed figures standing on the side.

The Magos spoke in a loud voice and said, "I am Magos Biologis 4314, begin re-armament sequence."

Four brown robed figures approached carrying pieces of armor and dresses, they garbed Nigun in a variation of his old raiments. The old black trench coat that was part of his uniform was retained, but the inner tunic felt different he rubbed it together and felt no different. Suddenly, the Magos threw six daggers at him and struck him squarely in the chest. Nigun rolled on the ground in pain, betrayal painted across his face as he looked up. He grabbed one of the daggers and noticed something weird.

There was no blood.

Puzzled, he straightened up and picked up the daggers one by one. They were of exceptional quality, heat-treated and hardened, and most importantly razor sharp. But there was no penetration on his tunic, the Magos approached quickly and took another dagger out. Faster than he could react, or that was he thought, but he intercepted the hand of the Magos and held it still as he was stabbed again from point blank range. It was weird to move faster than what is inhumanly possible, yet he stopped the incoming stab with plenty of space to spare.

"Well done, your reflexes are slowly adjusting to your new enhancements. Provided your new tunic would never be penetrated by just a human stab, nor any thrown weapon could penetrate it however, every hit would be quite painful I'm afraid."

Such thin armor? That none can easily penetrate it? What is this?

"Do not be surprised," the Magos made small adjustments on the tunic and the accompanying arm bands, "Such blessed armor, where its true ability is hidden is bestowed by the Supreme Beings to their agents that they value not in their physical prowess, but in the powers of their mind and other aspects that is certainly not physical. Those that rely in their subterfuge and fight not with physical means, but with something else entirely."

Finally, the Magos gave him a mace with round spikes attached to it, Nigun hefted it and began swinging it left and right. He shrugged his shoulders and looked at the red-robed figure with wonder, the Magos gave a small chuckle behind the hideous mask and said, "This weapon is a blessed relic that was bestowed to you by the Supreme Beings, it will channel your powers and have abilities that would benefit you if you would find yourself in such dire situations."

Nodding he understood, he was led away outside and pointed to stairs that led up to the next floor.

Nigun followed the stairs and found himself on a small lighted room with a breathtaking view of the Great Forest of Tob. He approached the glass and looked down to Earth, humanity looked so small from up here, how do the Gods even see us there?

"Enjoying the view?"

He stiffened as he heard that voice, it was the 'Shield of God', and he stood a few feet away from him. Showing he had learned his ways, he bowed his head and continued to look down. He felt that the Angel smiled from behind his helmet as it approached and joined him in appreciating the view. Nigun turned back to the view and sighed, "What is my Lord's orders?"

"So eager," Ramiel chuckled a bit and hummed, "Very well, the powers that you were bestowed are not known even to me. The Supreme Being is the only one that knows what powers are given. I have seen a servant before that was given elemental prowess, another one had enhanced physical abilities, others reflected wings."

"I am thankful, and I will discover with all my might what my God has given me."

"Excellent, now aside from discovering your new powers, you must spread word about our God. I hope you would not disappoint Lord Sammael."

"Of course, His will be done."

A few hours later, Nigun was whisked away by a group of red robed Skitarii and escorted to a [ **Gate** ], which he passed through that left him on the edge of Carne Village. From afar, Ramiel watched him through the Mirror of Remote Viewing, as he saw him finally head back to the Theocracy he turned back and headed for the Cathedral Grounds. Closing his eyes he opened a [ **Message** ] to his Master.

[ **Message** ]

 _'My Lord?'_

 _'Ah, how goes my new servant?'_

 _'He is well on his way My Lord, although I find him inadequate and quite fickle.'_

 _'You have reservations about Nigun?'_

 _'He is a heretic my Lord, his mind twisted by the teachings of his 6 Gods and their lesser counterparts. Such faith from humanity is fragile, his loyalty as clear as swamp water, and his conviction to you as brittle as a rotten tree trunk.'_

 _'You give him too less of a credit.'_

 _'I cannot shake the fact that he might shun his new found faith, I cannot forgive him if he should turn against you my Lord.'_

 _'Do not worry so much Ramiel, remember he is our heretic now. Besides, we need him for now.'_

Ramiel kept silent as Sammael's voice continued in his mind _, 'Did you know that heresy is like a tree, its roots lie in the darkness whilst its leaves wave in the sun. Its attraction overpowering to those who suspect naught a thing. Yet you can prune away its branches, even cut the tree to the ground, but it will grow again ever stronger.'_

 _'The fruits of the heresy that Nigun will spread will grow, fester, and corrupt those that as stalwart as he is.'_

 _'But what if he dies in the attempt my Lord?'_

 _'Does it truly matter if he dies or not? Once heresy against their teachings take root, then we would affirm the teachings that they preach that they would embrace our coming with arms wide open.'_

Ramiel bowed to the direction of the voice as he said, _'You are truly wise my Lord. Truly we strive to emulate your examples and try to understand at least a fraction of your plans.'_

 _'Very well Ramiel, continue your work. I will be resting for now, we are entering Arwintar now.'_

The spell terminated as the blue armored Angel stepped back into the Cathedral, once inside he saw numerous red robed Magos hunched over numerous stations that monitored the status of the floating fortress. The end of the cathedral where an altar should have been sat a throne made of dented armor, swords and helmets. Ramiel walked up to it, bowed to it and sat on a lesser throne that seemed allocated for the Generals, he removed his helmet and sweeps his eyes through the whole Cathedral.

"General Ramiel has the helm."

"Status report, Magos of the Vox, of the Navigators, of the Armaments, of the Administratum."

A heavily masked Magi stood up clutching a staff with a skull and trumpet, his eyes glowed underneath the red robes he wore, "The vox across the ship is stable my Lord General, the installation within the Great Tomb is underway."

Another Magos with a cyclopean eye stood up and said, "We have currently updated the terrestrial maps from the information coming back from the probes we sent out. It is currently at 60% completion."

A larger Magos stood up, from behind him numerous swords and spear clanked as he moved with practiced ease amidst all the weapons he carried, "Armaments are all stocked up, we can supply the trading that Lord Sammael is undertaking from the surplus of weapons and armors we have made. Mostly low-level items, but other more exotic items can be sent to them quickly."

"Can we sustain a 100 year war?"

"Of course Lord General."

Satisfied, the Angel gestured to the last Magos who stood up, it had numerous scrolls sprouting from under its crimson robes as it clicked one by one the information it gave, "Currently, our resources are at 98% percent and sustaining, our standing army has been put on standby, while those that were awoken initially were temporarily shut down. Additionally, the other ships are kept in stasis including the 3 Lord Generals and the other retinues. We can sustain a siege for approxiamately 532 years, in case the Great Tomb gets invaded or kept under siege."

"Understood," Ramiel straightened up and turned to the Navigator Magos and said, "New order, Lord Sammael has tasked us to monitor their activities including those of Lord Momonga. Additional orders require us to find the World Items or at least any information from the World Items."

"My acolytes can try to scry them from where we are, but it will be difficult since the range is quite long."

"Very well, Magos, we must all strive to serve our Lords with utmost distinction and dedication so we can forever glorify their eternal names."

The Angels and the Magos spoke as one as their voices reverberated through the Cathedral, **"Tremble before the Majesty of the Supreme Beings, for we all walk in their immortal shadow."**

.

.

 **Author's Note:**

 _Testimonium meum ascendit_ _"Bear witness to my ascension."_

 _Potentia ad sacrificium... et doloris = "All power demands sacrifice... and pain."_

 _Quod universum remunerator fit promptus est... sanguinem fundere potest promissionem = "The universe rewards those willing... to spill blood for the promise of power"_

 **YOU WANT MOAR!? I GIVE YOU MOAR! NOW REVIEW MOAARRR!**

 _._

Cheers,

Scarabeye3000


	6. Its not Personal, Its just Business

Disclaimer: Not mine, nor yours. Bugger then.

 **Title: Heaven or Hell**

Chapter 6 - Its not Personal... its just Business.

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Arwintar - Baharuth Empire

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The arrival of the merchant Samuel from the distant land of Cadia, who was both a businessman and an adventurer turned the market upside down in just 1 day. After their late night arrival, they rested and had a meeting well into the wee hours of the morning. They planned to split up the work that they needed to do, Sammael and Zadkiel would take care of the registration of their Trading House at the Empire's Merchant Guild, while Leliel procured premises that would be perfect in selling items that they deemed not too upsetting in the status quo of the influx of goods. Additionally, he was tasked to find a shop not too far from the Market Square to ensure maximum visibility to all shoppers. Unlike the New World where you open your shop and that's it, Sammael copied the style of the large corporations from the Old World.

He had decided he would host a grand ball or party for the remaining nobles of the Empire and the high-ranking members of society and the military. Out of respect he had sent invitations to the Emperor's household of course, since it is expected of him and he must follow protocol to include the Imperial Family.

They procured a large estate on the outskirts of Arwintar, it was a bit on the edge of the city and perfect for their supposed workshops, additionally, he could improve the security of the estate by adding stone walls to protect his property. The previous owner was a Count of immense wealth who lost everything he had when the 'Bloody Emperor' Jircniv purged the Empire, especially the capital of his most ardent opponents. Leaving only those he deemed 'loyal' or useful in his eyes with their riches, it weakened the Noble Faction, which used to control most of the trade, peasantry, administrative and soldiery of the Empire.

Baraqiel purchased the estate from the coffers of the Empire and actually haggled for a discount since they were building their Trading House at Arwintar and would guarantee a discount for the Empire's purchases of at most 5% on all items. With that dealt, all the 9 carriages raced from the Singing Apple Pavilion raced out of the city and settled down at their new estate.

Immediately, flags of the Supreme Being Sammael flew from all sides to proclaim who is head of the household. A double headed eagle, one eye open, the other one closed and a vicious 8-pointed star at its back.

Both red-robed and brown-robed humanoids shuffled about cleaning, making everything presentable, some others fortifying the place, while others cleaned out the rubbish and prepared for the upcoming ball. With the efficiency of a well-oiled machine, the Skitariis and Servitors managed the run-down palatial home into its former glory and beyond. Within the day they managed to secure the area, make it presentable fit for a Supreme Being's dwelling, Baraqiel checked every room to make sure everything is perfect.

Until finally at night on their 3rd day at the Baharuth Empire, Sammael stepped down on the carriage with his 3 Angel generals bowing in respect, "Welcome, Lord Sammael, Warmaster of all Nazarick."

The Fallen Angel let his eyes roam as he scrutinized every part of their estate. He looked at the main gate with the recently restored iron gate, the parapets on top of the wall had braziers burning that extended the sight range of the Skitarii guarding the gates, not that they need it to actually see, but appearances must be kept. From inside the gate house were the other members of the Skitariis that guarded the gate, there were sentries on all sections of the wall, yet they were not all lighted. From afar Sammael could see that they could form a loose phalanx on the top of the wall, while those on the lawn or grounds were numerous other Skitarii camouflaged in the grass and hidden by the darkness.

The carriages are hidden probably in the back of the house as Sammael finally mounts the steps and entered the palatial house. He noted the two guards on the door, and others hidden on the ceiling just behind some cornices made of white marble. His generals followed him trailed by four other Magos carrying scrolls, papers and small wooden chests. They headed for one of the largest rooms where a large wooden table, less in size to the one they have at the Great Tomb was in the center of the room, it had a fire place and large glass doors that lets you walk out to the veranda. The Fallen Angel opened the doors and lets the cool night air inside, on the edges of the terrace he saw additional Skitarii guards that stood in attention at his approach.

He beckoned for Leliel to approach and said, "I want you to put the two braziers on top of the gate tower right in front of the flag, that way from afar one can identify who controls this estate and it keeps our flag visible."

"Also, remove the braziers on top of the perimeter walls, instead put them on the ground in front of the walls. The light from the braziers will illuminate the grounds before the gate and will also expose anyone trying to climb the gate from the outside, this will also keep our soldier from being counted off and their movements from being monitored."

Leliel bowed down, "Understood my Lord, your tactical acumen is as accurate as ever."

"Hmm, you flatter me Leliel. Anyway, let us start our meeting," he sat at the head of the table and rest his nagamaki on the side, "Now then, I want a progress report on all our projects including those that are still in the works. You may begin Leliel."

The black armored angel removed his helmet and took out a scroll, aside from being soldiers by profession, the angels were also messengers, and scribes as dictated by their race, "The store that I had procured for you Lordship is worth 50 Yggdrasil Gold coins-"

"Wait- what?" Sammael looks up from his writing pad, "Why in the world is it so cheap?"

"Well, when we all went to the Trade Guild to exchange our coins I explained to them our origin story with us coming from Cadia across the sea. They just gobbled up my story like children in a candy store. Also, they seemed _'smitten'_ with the way our coins were made so they gave me a 5 is to 1 exchange rate, basically, 5 Imperial Gold coins for 1 of ours. They said it was like art and I can agree to their assessment, if you compare these coins issued by the Trade Guilds and ours-"

Sammael took out one of his gold coins and examined it together with the coin Leliel gave him, "I can see what you mean, our coins are perfectly machined, with ridges on the sides for identification and of course the art works for the Valkyrie and the World Tree is superb. Compared to their- rudimentary striking of the coin. Hmm, it seems our coins are also heavier than what they issue."

"Yes my Lord, the gold in weight between the two is twice as heavy. Both the Kingdom's coin and the Empire's weigh approximately 31 grams with a few variations in the decimal ranges, while our coins are a constant 60 grams."

 _'This is probably because all the gold in Yggdrasil were made the same,'_ Sammael thought as he contemplated the information, "We cannot allow our coins to be used anymore, if the value is as you say. Then we cannot make it common as it is-"

"What would we do with it my Lord?"

"I have an idea," Sammael took another scroll from the many in front of him and spreads it open, "Our shops for the elite will only accept currency using the gold coins from Yggdrasil, not only will it encourage those that have acquired it to use it, but also give precedence of the premium quality of our items."

All those on the table with him bowed, his solutions were always quick and feasible, "You are as wise as you are powerful."

"Not really... its just business," the Fallen perked up and said, "Since we cannot allow our coins to come out again, we need to make our own then. _Tasking: to the Magos of the Administratum-_ "

A red robed Magos stood up and began to unravel a roll of parchment, he took out a mechanical quill and stared at the Supreme Being.

"- _you are hereby ordered to manufacture a menagerie of monetary coins that resemble those issued by the Empire. Under no circumstances that we would use machining tools, rather this must be hand crafted with human-like errors factored in. You have 3 days to make equal values of Platinum, Gold, Silver and Copper based on our projected usage of the currency. Within 3 days you will send me the numerous samples for approval_ -"

"Is it wise my Lord to limit our supply of Imperial coins?"

"I understand your reservation," Sammael explained, "But too much usage and the sudden influx of the coins will be noticed by the Imperial Bank and we could be investigated, additionally, we can mix the Imperial coins with our minted ones to circulate it back to the market therefore laundering it in the process. If we flood the market with too much of our minted coin, it could increase the surplus of gold and it might be disastrous for the economy in the long run."

The Angels and surrounding Magos nodded in understanding, their Lord was explaining to them some process they were not familiar with about economy.

The red robed Magos bowed and sat down again, the message to his Superior tucked neatly away into one of the cylindrical containers in his saddle bag. The messages of the Supreme Beings, especially their orders were written down and locked away into one of the vaults safely inside the Stellarum Nex. With that done, Sammael gestured to Leliel to continue his report, they discussed the wares that will be peddled in the store. From potions, to weapons, tunics and women's dresses, to kitchen wares, everything that they can trade with. Including how it was made, what material is allowed, what item would likely raise suspicion, he took into account the items that he believes would not put them at risk and gave Leliel his blessings.

Baraqiel followed with his report on the estate that they have acquired, "My Lord, with the assistance of brother Leliel, we managed to acquire the deeds of this estate through the Imperial coffers. Due to the large value our gold had commanded, we acquired this estate for one small chest of gold or roughly less than 200 Yggdrasil gold pieces."

Again, Sammael was taken aback, "Eh? Bugger me, why is it so cheap?"

"According to the listing on the Imperial Registry of Land, the former owners were enemies of the current Emperor. He was part of the purge that happened when Emperor Jircniv drove out all his enemy nobles from the country. Others he seized their wealth and stripped them of their titles, others he executed, while others were declared... our equivalent term is _'excommunicado traitoris'_. I believe they called the event, the _'Night of Long Knives'_ according to our newest... umm... colleague'."

He was pertaining to the information from Nigun about the Emperor of the Baharuth Empire, how he shifted the power from the Noble Faction into the Imperial House and the scourging of his enemies after he stripped them of their wealth, title, and prestige.

"I know it is hard, but I wish for you to work with Zadkiel in preparing a grand ball, if you must approach people of renown in this Empire then go ahead and do so," Sammael sighed, "If possible, get all of the nobles, no matter how obscure they are- not to mention those people with skills that might be beneficial to us in the future."

"We may need some help with that from the Great Tomb."

Sammael rubbed his forehead as he thought of one or two person that would be excellent here, he turned to another red-robed Magos and ordered, " _Tasking: to the Magos of the Vox, send immediate word to Nazarick and to Ainz-kun... I require CZ Delta and Yuri Alpha to be with me._ "

The Magos bowed and rolled the parchment he wrote the words of the Supreme Being and puts it inside his own cylinder, he puts it in his bag and prepared another roll of parchment.

"Now, what is the word with Ainz-kun?"

"My Lord," another red-robed Magos stood and bowed respectfully, "We have reports from the Archmagos of the Vox that Lord Ainz has successfully integrated himself into the Re-Estize Kingdom with Narberal Gamma and General Azrael at his side. They are currently posing as benevolent Adventurers and are slowly having society in the Kingdom be ingratiated to them, they are currently heading back to Carne Village right now as part of a retinue for a famous potion maker Nfirea Bareare."

"Famous potion maker? Hmm, it seems he intends to recruit Nfirea into Nazarick, but have not informed us yet on how he would do so," Sammael nods his head, "I can see his use to Nazarick would be immense, very well, keep me posted. Additionally, let Azrael know of what we are doing right now. By the way, what's the status of the others?"

"General Ramiel is currently scrying the Slane Theocracy for any traces of a World Item. He had detected a short spike near the borders of the Re-Estize Kingdom, but it vanished as soon as it came."

"Was there any information on what kind of item it was?"

The Magos looked forlornly at his scroll, "Accept our apologies, but not much information was given my Lord. However, we do know it is not a 1-time use item."

"A World Item that is not a 1-time use, keep me posted and make this a top priority, if possible I want all Generals to respond immediately, your World Items would protect you from the enemy. By the way, was Ainz reminded to have the Guardians armed with at least one World Item to counter a World Item's effect."

"Yes, my Lord," the Magos of the Vox nodded and continued in his robotic voice, "It was communicated to Lord Ainz, so far according to feedback from the Vox in the Great Tomb, Lady Albedo carries _Ginnungagap_ , while Lady Aura carries _Picture of Nature and Nation_ , Lady- erm... uhm Lord Mare carries the _Avarice and Generous_ , Lord Cocytus and Demiurge carry the _Billion Blades_ and _Bowl of Hygieia_ , I'm sorry my Lord it was not clear what was given to the two of them."

"What about Shalltear?"

The magos looked down at his scroll and said, "Lady Shalltear was given a World Item, but we were not given the name. Apparently, it was taken from an Area Guardian from the Great Tomb on the 8th Floor. The name of the Area Guardian was also not given, but Lord Ainz assured us that the Guardians are properly protected."

Sammael nods his head and rubbed his chin, "Hmm, very well. I have no need to worry about the Generals for they all possessed their own World Items-"

All three Angel Generals rubbed their World Items lovingly, such a weapon was given to their protection. A gesture not missed by the Angels as this shows the love their Warmaster has for them and would like them to live and survive. Make no mistake, they were made for war, and there is no guaranteed safety in war, but it is a good feeling to have a commander that would secure you and give you as much edge against the enemy as he can.

Especially if it entails using such armaments for their own safety.

"Anything else Magos?"

"Nothing else for now my Lord," the red robed Magos of the Vox bowed and sat down.

Sammael stood up and looked at them on by one, "This meeting is adjourned, additional updates about our projects will be heard tomorrow. We have within the week to establish our Trading House as the best provider in the Empire for premium, and luxurious goods. We must be the best, and most reliable traders in the Imperium. Let us make it count."

Everyone stood as the Fallen Angel opened his arms and loudly proclaimed, "Peace! Peace for a thousand years!"

" **Peace!** " everyone in the table chorused, their voices tempered with conviction and faith, **"Peace through superior power, and overwhelming might!** "

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A few days later

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Flaming braziers illuminated the road leading to Samuel's Estate, the ball was attended by numerous nobles, traders, and high-ranking military personnel including their first contact in the Empire Magistrate Tibian who travelled to Arwintar at his behest. The night was a crisp warm night, not too cold, nor too hot, the weather was perfect for a leisurely stroll at the large sprawling garden. Red-robed 'security personnel' is assured as they all lined the walls perfectly, the edge of the grounds and occasionally mingle with the guest. To hide their 'mechanical enhancements' they were ordered to wear gloves and long sleeved tunics, those that had facial enhancements were required to wear masks, their robes were left open to indicate that they were armed and to give the guest the impression that all are perfectly safe.

Leliel or Lily wore a black tunic with a high collar that was opened and held by a black cross medallion. Knee-high leather boots and a black long coat draped on his shoulders, he had the coat of arms of the Supreme Being as a gorget that hung in front of his neck. He had two red-robed Skitarii with him as always and he was in charge of security in and out of the venue.

Baraqiel or Baramus was left in charge of the kitchens, he was directly responsible for the numerous servitors that is currently creating masterful dishes. Numerous robed Magos toiled to make dinner, the dinner scrumptiously prepared with military precision, all ingredients were utilized and none were wasted.

Zadkiel or Zadicus was in charge of the guest, his photographic memory was perfect as he recalled each and every guest that have sent their reply. When they sent the invitations out, they expected only those of the nearest provinces and territories to come, but the Angel made sure that the allure of the invitation would excite even those nobles too decadent to have seen much riches in their life. Gold embossed letters where exquisite lettering copied by numerous Magos were sent out, lightly scented with spring flowers laced with alluring pheromones that the constant pestering of the ladies of the house ensured a large attendance is to be expected.

And they were not disappointed.

As soon as they entered the grounds, their carriages dropped them at the front door, from there they are met by Zadicus with his white tunic and high collar resembling an Admiral's uniform. He greeted them one by one with a bow and smile, after being ushered inside by a brown-robed servitor, that spoke very little even if behind their masks, they were greeted with delicate lights that illuminated the ground. Music from instruments they were not aware of permeated in the air as numerous concertos and minuets were played by an orchestra of red-robed Skitariis. Almost a hundred guests lingered on the garden as they socialized and waited for the host of the ball.

Magistrate Tibian arrived early and assisted in the entertaining of the guest as the cream of the Empire's society poured in.

"I see you are doing well Tibian, you whelp!" a decorated General approached flanked by officers and his adjutant.

"Ah, General Carvain, I see you still command the 2nd Legion."

The wizened General chuckled and took a beverage from an offered tray, "Our Emperor is gracious and he tolerates even old nobles such as I to serve him. Anyway, what say you about our upcoming war again with the Kingdom?"

"I believe the Kingdom is ripe for the taking. If only they do not have the Warrior Troop and Gazef protecting them."

"We do have the Four Knights, but they are exclusively for the Emperor's protection I'm afraid."

"Speaking of the Emperor, will he attend the Ball?"

General Carvain chuckled, "I am not sure, it has been some time since there was a Ball this grand and if I know our Emperor there could be a chance he would come. On a side note, where is our host?"

"No doubt preparing," a man sidled up next to them, "Good evening General and to you Magistrate."

"Hmm, this ball seemed to attract most of the important people here in the Empire. Our host must be quite something else for the Head of the Trade Guilds to grace us with their presence."

A man adorned in a blue tunic smiled at them, he had a few gray hairs on his head and a trimmed beard framed his face, a pair of round glasses framed his face and an easy smile graced his face. A slightly younger woman was perched on his arm while a few other men followed him.

"May I present my wife, Gracia," the woman curtsied and the two elderly men took turns kissing the back of her hand.

They exchanged pleasantries as they headed for the gardens, "Tell me Maes, what do you know of our host? Magistrate Tibian seemed mum about him."

"I am not mum about him, I just can't describe him in full. He is an adventurer I tell you, with the discipline of a military man, and yet something else entirely."

"Oh? Surely you are not insinuating him to be a spy."

Not to be outdone, Maes, the Head of the Trade Guild interjected, "I have seen him when he registered his Trading House with the Guild. I must say, I haven't met someone as cultured as he is."

"Have you tasted their liquor? He called it a 'borbon', he said it was aged for 15 years," Tibian chuckled, "Of course, I didn't believe him, until I saw the barrel he kept it in. It was as old as my riding breeches."

The professional soldiers gave small chuckles at the inside joke, Maes gave a smile and gestured to his dress, "I was given a liquor however, I have not had the pleasure of opening it. He did give us samples of his wares and I must say the quality and presentation is quite superb. This tunic actually came from him and it is simply luxurious to the skin."

"He must have such fine artisans," General Carvain stated, "Not to mention very wealthy to accommodate a large amount of servants and 'security personnel', its like a whole battalion is currently defending us."

"Have you also noticed the discipline his men and servant alike displays? Its truly remarkable-"

Suddenly, Zadicus stepped into the garden grounds as the music stopped with his approach. He cleared his throat and struck his staff on the ground twice, all eyes turned to him as he declared in a loud voice.

" **Presenting, Samuel of Cadia!** "

All the guests gazed upon the door that leads into the mansion as the master of the house stepped out. His long black hair was tempered with a pony tail now, as his violet eyes held everyone who gazed upon him. Wearing a maroon tunic, and a black long coat, he approached the veranda near the guest and already had a glass in hand.

"Greetings esteemed guest, it is with great pleasure that I welcome you to my new home. From a distant land, the Empire has embraced me, an unknown outsider in its bosom as a humble merchant who only wishes to ply my trade in your magnificent city."

Enamored, some members of the merchant guild including Maes raised their glasses.

"I thank you everyone for bearing witness to the opening of our Trading House, where we will strive to meet all the needs not just of the people who I call friends-" he gestured his glass to the group of nobles and traders who raised their own in salute, "-to the Military-" he gestured to General Carvain, who also bowed in acknowledgement, "-and of course to the masses," finally he sought out and saluted Magistrate Tibian with his glass who also raised his own.

"Ave Imperium!" he declared loudly and raised his glass in victory.

"AVE IMPERIUM!" the crowd chorused as they replied his toast.

He sipped his glass and descended down to the gardens where most of the guest converged on him, introducing, congratulating, socializing and basically doing the age old human tradition of _'pressing of the flesh'_. (not that kind of flesh mind you)

"Master Samuel, may I introduce Duke Hessian, their family owns the largest lumbering company in the Empire," Zadicus introduced them one by one as they shook his hand, each and every one committed to memory, which immensely impressed the guest, "-the Duchess Vaian, her husband is currently ill, but sends his utmost congratulations in your settling in the Empire. They own a chain of apothecaries in the Empire... of course, Count Mondeggo their family owns trading houses that deal with other governments outside of the Empire."

"Count Femel, he owns a silver mine and a coal mine on the hills bordering the Forest of Tob."

Sammael bowed and shook hands all around, the flood of people and names continued until he finally reached those people who did not clamor to get his attention. Magistrate Tibian, General Carvain, and Head Trader Maes and the people that arrived with them waited for him patiently as he entertained his guest.

He walked up to them and shook hands with Magistrate Tibian, then Head Trader Maes, in the order that he had met and got acquainted with them. It was the Magistrate who stepped up and introduced the General and the Fallen Angel, "General Carvain, meet Samuel of Cadia. Trader, former adventurer, and known connoisseur of the finer things in life."

The two men clasped hands and shook firmly, Sammael noted the strength of the human-like grip, noting that his strength belied his wizened appearance. The general however felt his pulse race, when he gripped the gloved hand, it was like clasping steel. He noted that the skin was as soft as a human, but when he squeezed it was like a piece of sculpted iron.

Hard and unyielding.

There was power hidden within those hands, but he was an affable man too. General Carvain smiled and said, "I must thank you for inviting us. It is quite fortunate that I had to report to the Capital for the upcoming war with the Kingdom, hence I am here."

"War?" Samuel quipped, "Surely from what I see in the city, there does not seem to be too much preparation for war. Isn't the autumn harvest coming soon? It is a good thing that the Empire has a standing army, us commoners do not need to dabble with such things as war and life can continue uninterrupted for us."

"Our Emperor is truly wise, the citizens are protected by the standing army."

"The bureaucracy is a blessing, without the noble faction to control everything, us common folks actually had a chance without being born rich," Master Maes took a swig of his aperitif and sighed, "Although I lost a number of my friends during the purge, they should not have went against the Emperor and his ideals. It is better to bend in the face of a strong wind."

General Carvain kept silent, his family was one of those nobles that were not part of the purge. He was spared because as a military general he had vowed his and his family's allegiance to the Emperor. They resumed small talk when there was a link that connected with Sammael as he continued their conversations while waiting for the dinner bell.

[ **Message** ]

 _"My Lord?"_

 _"Yes Leliel?"_

 _"A convoy of 6_ _carriages are at full gallop heading here."_

 _"What flag do they fly?"_

 _"The flag of the Emperor."_

 _"Zadkiel, did you hear that? What are you still doing standing behind me?"_

 _"Oh! Y-yes, apologies my Lord."_

Zadicus quickly vanished from the throng of the crowd as he continued to entertain his guest, seemingly oblivious from the approaching Emperor. They walked around the groups of people as he continued to play the part of a gracious host, keeping his first acquaintances in arms length while reaching out to other people to chat them up and offer small talk. Flattery and loose tongue ran abound as the deceptively strong aperitif or pre-dinner drinks were served non-stop by brown robbed servitors. Music from the orchestra continued as they played concerto after concerto while more servitors began carrying and assembling a long table that extended the whole length of the 1st floor terraces.

"I must ask," Master Maes said as they made the rounds with Sammael among the crowd, "What is this music? It is quite melodious and very easy in the ears. Who is the name of the bard who composed this?"

"Ah, I am glad that you approve," Sammael smiled as they approached the musicians, "The bard's name is Johann Pachelbel, and his composition is called ' _Pachelbel Canon_ '."

"I must admit that I have not heard of him," Magistrate Tibian's forehead furrowed as he tried to remember any similarities before.

The Fallen Angel smiled at this, "It is of no surprise, I had encountered this music in one of my travels. The Kingdom was called _'Deutschland',_ it is a fine Kingdom. Unfortunately, my last news from my friends there was it was carved up by four other nations after a grueling war."

"Most unfortunate indeed, tell me, is that Kingdom beyond this continent?"

"Yes of course! It seemed almost _'worlds apart',_ and believe me I have traveled far and wide."

A commotion at the terrace grabbed their attention and they all turned to the doorway as Zadkiel stepped out quickly and banged his staff on the ground.

" **Presenting! The Emperor of the Baharuth Empire, His Majesty Jircniv Rune Farlord El Nix and the Imperial Court's High Wizard Fluder Paradyne!** "

The General gave a small smile and said, "Our Emperor has graced his presence on our gathering. Tell me was there anything about the invitation that you sent us that our Emperor deemed it worth his time to come?"

Sammael only smiled, "The letters was embossed with real gold, you can melt it down and approximately get a gram or 2 of gold. Just from the lettering, the sides and from the envelope."

"So luxurious," Master Maes breathed softly, "Tell me, perhaps have you found a gold mine that you have secreted away?"

"Hahaha, trade secrets my friend," the Fallen gestured to Zadicus as they saw him immediately attend to the Emperor, "Come now gentlemen, we must greet our benevolent Emperor for his graciousness."

They headed towards the group of the Emperor as the numerous guest made way for them, soon Sammael was face to face with the leader of the Baharuth Empire as he bowed in respect to royalty.

"Your Imperial Majesty," he closed his eyes and bowed, the Fallen was taller than Jircniv so his head only reached the shoulder height of the human, "You bring me great honor and joy by gracing us with your benevolent presence."

"Hmm, a well-mannered man," Jircniv's voice was strong, firm and steady. He spoke with authority in every syllable, "I must thank you also for your courtesy of inviting me."

"The Empire has accepted me so quickly in its embrace, what better way to show my gratitude by hosting a ball in honor of this glorious Empire."

The Emperor's eyes grew to slits and gave a small grin, obviously satisfied with his answer, he strode forward and looked at the surrounding area, "I must say, you have certainly brightened up this place. I trust that you will support the Empire in every way that you can so the same fate will not befall you?" deftly the Emperor lets his right hand forward and a little raised towards the Fallen.

 _'The language was clear, support me or die.'_

Sammael bowed submissively and cunningly showed that he kissed the offered ring, he felt the sudden surge of surprise and anger from his Angels and it manifested with the blowing of the wind.

His ego sated, Jircniv walked off while Fluder looked down on the man who straightened up as the Emperor passed. The sagely visage of the Tri-Arts Magic Caster never left the unknown trader, he was curios in the utmost sense about this person. It is known that Fluder can sense magical power and divine the magical prowess of an individual by gazing on their auras, but therein lies the issue.

Samuel and his three assistants were all blank, it was as if they were a newborn child, less than that actually since newborns have a small fiery aura symbolizing the spark of life inside their small bodies, it was small, but it was there. But these 4 are curiously blank and empty, like a void shielded them from prying eyes. He was extremely curious, but he would not like to be rude to their host, it would be unbecoming for his title as the Imperial Court's Wizard to act so brazenly and openly.

The sudden appearance of Baramus with his own staff captured the attention of all guest, he struck it twice to the ground and said in a loud voice, " **Dinner is SERVED!** "

"Your Majesty," Samuel gestured towards the tables and led the way.

The people gathered around and were assisted by the numerous brown robed servitors to their seats, the Emperor Jircniv sat on the head of the table, on his right is Fluder, on his left is the host of the evening. With the General sitting beside Fluder and the Master of the Trade Guild taking the seat beside Samuel. The Emperor appreciates art and the beauty of everyday objects, he particularly took note of the dinnerware that they were using right now. The silver spoons they were using had the crest of the merchant Samuel on the end, he took one and analyzed it seeing it had the engraved scales of a dragon that terminated on the neck of the spoon, at its back was the hallmark identifying the maker of the utensils and cutlery. The plate was made of fine ceramic, its side lined with gold that again featured the crest of Samuel and his Trading House, even the goblets they use were made from crystals that played in the light. Jirnciv was about to ask about the utensils when Zadicus approached and greeted the guest.

"Your Majesty," the Angel disguised as a cook bowed and looked at the guest, "Ladies and Gentlemen, the first course is the hors d'oeuvres-"

Brown robed servitors carried in a small cup of appetizer as the guest all stared wide eyed at the presentation and the luxuriousness of the dishes. The smell that assaulted their senses was so divine and its arrangement was so artistic that it seemed a waste to eat it.

The Emperor took his spoon and ladled the soup with it, it was thick and its aroma was rich and pleasing to the nostrils. He brought it to his lips and sipped, at once the flavors flooded his senses as he almost gasped at the taste.

It was heavenly.

"What is this?" he almost exclaimed upon which Baramus patiently explained.

"Your Majesty, this is _duck liver pate with pistachios and fromage forts_ , the duck is locally obtained and fed until their liver reached a fatty consistency that would give this appetizer its primary flavor, the strong taste is countered by the neutral taste of the pistachios and the _fromage forts_ acts as a balancer between the two. May I recommend you to dip the _fromage forts_ on the pate and taste the difference."

Jircniv did just that and his eyes almost bugged out, it was balanced and the taste of the dish complimented the cheesy bread. The other guest also did likewise as all around there were sighs of contentment and whispers of 'very good' and 'excellent' permeated softly in the air, all the while the band continued playing pleasant music from the bard known as Beethoven.

After the hors d'oeuvres was finished, the servitors cleared their plates and another set came in with bowls of soup on their arms. Again, Zadicus narrated the dish and the way he prepared it all.

"For the 2nd course, a soup called _Bisque_ made from the strained broth of crustaceans-"

"Excuse me, but what are crustaceans?" a nearby guest raised his hand and looked at the marvelous dish in front of them, "I believe I have never seen one before?"

"It is an animal that can be seen and obtained only at sea, it was not easy transporting them here, but we do have stockpiles of live crustaceans that we utilize for cooking."

Satisfied at the answer everyone dig into their Bisque and the results were the same.

"Amazing."

"Its creamy, with a taste that I can't place- I don't know."

"Buttery?"

"-something else entirely."

"So, this is what crustaceans taste like?"

Once the last of the guest scraped clean their soup bowl, the servitors came forward again and switched the used plate with another one. This one was a dish that was very dear to Sammael's heart.

"Our next course-" Baramus announced, "-will be a local fish grilled with aioli, sprinkled in balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Please enjoy."

Taking his silver knife, Jircniv and the rest of the guest cut off a piece from their fish and their eyes widened again. They hurriedly cut off another slightly larger piece and puts it in their mouth chewing slowly and savoring the flavors currently roiling inside their mouths.

"Where did you get such succulent fish?" the Emperor inquired through mouthfuls, "This taste great!"

"You honor us your Majesty," the Angel bowed and replied, "I believe the fish is a local salmon fish, this fish I find has an excellent firm flesh, highly graded where the meat does not disintegrate even if it is grilled."

Fluder hummed and sighed, "The slight sourness of the vinegar complements the fish perfectly."

The other guest murmured in agreement, conversation floated here and there, praising the virtue of the fish, of the dish, of the opulence in their eyes, and the host with his graciousness. A clear beverage was served with the fish and the guest marveled at the taste of the wine they were drinking.

"What is this drink? Some kind of liquor?"

"Indeed," Sammael smiled and took a measured sip, "These are _oaked Chardonnay_ , white wine that complements the flavor of the fish."

The fish dish was served boneless much to the relief of the guest followed quickly by some tossed local greens with caramelized onions, mushrooms, sprinkeled with aromatic vinegar, and chopped saffron with lavender thrown in. Zadicus explained the salad is typically served in between the fish dish and the main course to relax the palette and clean the taste buds. Finally, the servitors cleaned all the plates and switched it with the main course.

Even the Emperor's eyes widened at the presented work of art in front of him, who knew that food can be considered an art work?

"Ladies and gentlemen, I hope everyone is not too full. I present our main course for the evening, duck breasts with chanterelle salad with almonds," the guests took their first bite and a murmuring of agreement resounded, the Angel continued his introduction of the food he made, "The _pate_ you have tasted for your hors d'oeuvre, came from the same birds that have been served to you. We coated the duck in a sweet, sugary coating that we burned slightly giving the bittersweet crust that beautifully goes with the juiciness of the duck. Sprinkled with chopped sugar-coated almonds to enhance taste, it is further complemented with a glass of _Pinot Noir_ red wine that countered the richness of the dish.

At the end of the Main Course, the guest were already loosening belts and the ladies were trying in vain to disguise their quiet burps of contentment. Truly, coming to this dinner party was the best decision they have made thus far, even the Emperor looked sated at the foods they were served.

Their plates were cleared and replaced with smaller ones, the Emperor looked at Samuel and said, "More courses?"

"Your Majesty, I always say... there is more room for dessert."

As if on cue the servitors served glittering balls of gold, arranged in a pyramid shape, held together by what looked like golden threads that glittered in the light standing atop a white frosted cake with symbols that honored the Empire and the sigil of Sammael.

Delightedly, the guest unabashedly grabbed the numerous pieces of fluff and consumed them with great gusto. The Emperor was served a separate five-tiered pyramid for his consumption while the others, like Fluder and Samuel shared with the common guest. The first bite elicited shocked response to the deliciousness and the creaminess of the confections.

"What is this?" the Emperor almost exclaimed more than once that night as he tried to control his excitement, "I should send my blasted chef to work for you so he'll learn to make the same dishes. This is truly heavenly, and astoundingly delicious."

Samuel gave a small smile, "I am glad your Majesty is truly delighted, this is one of my favorite dessert to be honest. This dessert is called a _croquembouche_ , sprinkled with chopped almonds, pistachios and chocolates held by sugar strings. The base is another dessert called a macaroon cake- uh, Baramus, how do you make a macaroon cake?"

"Egg whites, confectionery sugar, with a pinch of salt and any kinds of nut beaten until frothy, once it froths it can then be mixed to flour to create the batter or the sandwich. I shall procure you the recipe later your Majesty."

The conversations continued well into the night, when finally the night was deemed to be in its middle time all the guest began to leave one by one. The Emperor was given a gift of _croquembouche,_ and some fine wine. The rest were given bottles of wine that they may consume for another day, truly a fitting parting gift for an excellent party.

Samuel, with Zadicus and Baramus standing behind him greeted the guest one by one as they boarded their carriages and left for their homes. Master Maes was given another bottle of wine and chocolates, General Carvain was sent off with a bottle of wine and dark chocolates, Magistrate Tibian was given a bottle of _'borbon'_ a drink he had grown an affinity of, while aside from the gift to the Emperor of wine and a croquembouche platter, Jircniv was also given a small lacquer jewelry box full of finely crafted jewel as tribute that is both unseen inside and outside of the Empire.

With the last guest leaving, Sammael turned and headed for the meeting room, he passed the main hall and checked that the servitors were already cleaning the surrounding area, satisfied he entered the meeting room followed by his two Generals, with CZ Delta and Yuri Alpha bringing the rear.

"Everyone take your seats, let us be quick about this," the Fallen sighed and looked at the assembled servants of Nazarick before him, "So, what have you learned thus far?"

Zadkiel bowed and said, "My Lord Sammael, the numerous nobles talked about the upcoming war with the Re-Estize Kingdom, they have offered their numerous insights to the direction the Empire is taking, not to mention knowing each and every one of the guest that could be called upon should we need cat's paws in this region."

"I see, how about you Leliel?" the Fallen turned to the black dressed man in front of him, "Noticed anything significant?"

"Fluder Paradyne my Lord, his divination arts seemed directed to us 4 as he was constantly trying to read our strength. Unfortunately for him the restrictive rings Lord Ainz sent us helped us so much about concealing our true nature. Additionally, I have learned the composition of the Imperial Military due to my conversations with General Carvain before you have joined us at the ball."

"Excellent Leliel, now Baramus, any inputs from the ladies of the household?"

"Not much My Lord, though I will need to sift through my memories since the large amount of gossip seemed to overload my brain."

Sammael gave a small smiled, "I am sorry dear Baramus, but it is a necessary thing since we are gathering information against the Empire."

"Fret not my Lord, just give me a day to write down everything and I shall prepare a comprehensive report for you."

"Good," he turned to the Battle Maids and gestured for them to stand up, which they do so as they approached him, "Yuri, CZ, accept my gratitude in your assistance towards the success of this information gathering. I shall think of a reward for you when I get back to the Great Tomb."

The two maids bowed with haste and said, "It is a great honor to assist the Warmaster of Nazarick and the Supreme Being. We are glad to be of use."

"Excellent, return to your duties Battle Maids, you have brought me happiness today, do send me a complete report in case you have come upon any information that might help me in conquering the Empire [ **Gate** ]."

Yuri Alpha and CZ Delta bowed again and stepped into the opened gate, as it closed Sammael stood up and opened his wings. "We are adjourned for the day, I want reports on the ongoing projects that we have. Also, get information from Demiurge regarding our new colleague and his performance. Is that clear?"

The three Angel Generals stood and banged their chest, "As you command Lord Sammael."

Sammael walked over to the lounge chair and comfortably sat himself, the fire place had a crisp fire going as he tried to gather his thoughts. He had enjoyed the food, although not needing any nourishment since he is technically an Angel, but he could not dismiss that he had missed something. Judging it is the perfect time as any, he activated the [ **Message** ] spell and reached out to the person he wanted to speak with.

 _'How are you Momonga-kun?'_

 _'Ah! Sammael-kun, I was wondering when you would reach out. Oh... uh, forgive me Sammael-kun, I might have messed up.'_

 _'What is it?'_

 _'Remember the village girl that we saved with the Warrior-Captain of the Kingdom?'_

 _'Yesss?'_

 _'... and remember that person that I would be escorting to the village? Nfirea Bareare?'_

 _'Yesss?'_

 _'Turns out their childhood friends.'_

 _'Bugger that! What else?'_

 _'Well, there was a brief scuffle at the Kingdom and I somehow paid a female adventurer with our potion.'_

 _'I see no problem with that, you suck at women sometimes but-'_

 _'-except she showed it to Nfirea-san.'_

 _'...'_

 _'Sammael-kun...?'_

 _'Don't Sammael-kun me! Here I am, trying to destabilize a foreign nation from within and your doling out potions? Why so careless Momonga-kun?'_ the Fallen's voice felt like he was trying to tear out his hair in frustration.

 _'I'm sorry, but it can't be helped... there was a scuffle with some locals and Narberal would have slayed them all. Your General wasn't much of help either, he was just standing there, as if expecting something to happen.'_

 _'Ugh, naturally Azrael would do nothing in that situation except those that you directed necessary. Additionally, my Angels would not move hastily unless there is a blatant reason or there is a perceived dangers to your person.'_

 _'Be that as it may, I had to exchange something since I was basically broke and didn't have any semblance of money with me.'_

 _'Why did you not just pay her or something? You could bury her in gold if you want to.'_

 _'I can't. I'm broke! I don't have Imperial nor Kingdom money- I'm freaking broke!'_

 _'Unbelievable!'_ Sammael exclaimed in his mind, 'You _have a whole tomb full of gold and- you know what I'll send you money the first time that we finished minting our Imperial gold coins-'_

 _'Wait- what? Your counterfeiting money!?'_ Ainz voice sounded scandalized, _'Why would you do that Sammael-kun!? We'll go to prison for this!'_

 _'Necessary evil, I'm destabilizing a country and I had to get close quickly to the powers of the place and so far I have succeeded in meeting the Emperor, the Head Wizard, who I think is very suspicious of us, and the top brass of the military, judiciary and trade guilds.'_

 _'All within one week? Your so good!'_

 _'Stop, your making me blush, anyway open a Gate and join me in my estate, we must plan together what we need to do further.'_

 _'Wait, I need to give reminders to both Azrael and Narberal-'_

The spell terminated as Sammael closed his eyes and waited patiently, after a few minutes a swirling void opened not far from him and out stepped a warrior clad in a full black plate armor.

"Ah! Sammael-kun!

"Ainz-kun, join me."

The Elder Lich dispelled his conjured armor and weapons as he sat down in front of the fire place with Sammael, with a small smile on his lips, the Fallen opened a lacquer box and took out a 4-inch cigar. He took out 3 long matchstick and lighted one, he slowly rolled the tip of the cigar on the fire as he said, "So, what is our plans going to be now?"

Taking a bottle of whiskey, Ainz poured a sizable amount to a whiskey glass and swirled it inside before taking a sniff, "We need to know if there are more players around, no doubt their artifacts, influence, maybe some of their progeny remained and survived still."

"It could be," he lighted another matchstick and continued to cook the tip of the cigar, "In particular that I am interested in are the 6 Great Gods, their names are somewhat familiar to me. Not to mention other notable legends that I have the pleasure of learning much from."

"Do tell me more," Ainz took a sip of the whiskey and a warm feeling flooded his senses, he should not be able to do this, but since he had somewhat _'concentrated'_ his mind in the thought of consuming food and liquids, he found that it would not just slip through his bones. Rather, it would vanish magically as soon as it passed through his bony teeth, like he still has flesh throughout his body.

"I took note of the stories shared to me by my guests during the dinner party that I have hosted, they spoke of other extraordinary beings. One of them, which is the Eight Greed Kings who established a still surviving kingdom called _'Eryuentiu',_ a floating city in the middle of the desert just south of this place. They said they PKed the God of Death called Surshana-"

"Eh!? Surshana!? I remember that guy, he was one of the last Undead Overlords that existed with me. I once met him when I was clearing a dungeon in the Jormungand Seas."

With the 3rd and final matchstick dying, Sammael offers the cigar to Ainz who carefully took it and inhaled the aromatic flavor of the cigar, "So, you knew one of the so-called Gods. At least now we have confirmation that they were really players just like us transported to this world. Do you want me to continue?"

"Please do," Ainz watched as the Fallen took out 3 new long matchsticks and _'cooked'_ a cigar for himself.

"I have heard also of Evil Deities who appeared 100 years after the Eight Greed Kings, then the 13 Heroes who defeated them."

"So, the 13 Heroes are also Players?"

"I'm not sure, I plan to trace the origins of these stories and disguise myself as a prolific trader from the Empire."

"I see, anyways, the twins have something to report to you-"

"The twins!?" Sammael's eyes twinkled with delight and excitement, "Where are they!?"

"Relax, you lolicon- your as worse as Peroroncino," Ainz breathed out smoke and sighed, "They found a treant, although a sleeping one. Why don't you check it out?"

The Fallen shrugged his shoulders and lazily blew out smoke then took a sip from a whiskey glass, "What's our tactical advantage to it? Also, why don't you check it out, your currently the nearest one to it."

"I'll be returning to E-Rantel tomorrow. One thing about toppling the treant is that we can conquer the whole Forest of Tob, and consolidate our influence with the numerous heteromorphic races in the forest."

"The task is daunting my friend," Sammael took out a map and pointed to an area near Carne Village, "Reports from the _'Stellarum Nex'_ shows there are numerous tribes of heteromorphic races, Goblins, an Ogre clan, numerous lizardmen villages, and elves which I believe is excellent exposure for the twins. Though we did detect the 'treant' we would have no tactical usage over it."

"Maybe we can use it for XP training?"

"You have a point, I'll see what I can do."

Satisfied, Ainz and Sammael continued their meeting until the first rays of light from the sun were seen from the horizon.

.

.

E-Rantel

.

Ainz knew that he would blush if only his new body would allow it to, in fact he was lucky that his bones hadn't turned red in embarrassment as they returned victoriously to E-Rantel. Their client, Nfirea Bareare had his wagon full of herbs and medicinal plants filled to the brim, the adventurer team Sword of Darkness were in high spirits and none were lost to the skirmish that they had.

Plus, he got to parade his new 'mount' all over the fortress city.

 _Fuckin' hell!? Is this bloody shame play!?'_

Hamsters are cute, those small balls of puff that do nothing all day, but eat their seeds and roll around on their nest made of wood shavings. These are our common perceptions of hamsters however, Hamsters of Djungaria are quite different, since normal hamsters stands in inches compared to a Djungarian who easily stands 20 ft tall at the shoulders, having steel-like fur, sharp steel claws that could rip apart a door in half, and a prehensile tail. Against an adventurer, it would be a formidable challenge, against Ainz's overwhelming might though, it felt like water upon rock.

Still he could not forget how the people of the New World described such a creature who spoke in high honorifics and he finds extremely cute, named Wise King of the Forest, at first glance he could not see where in any way did this creature came to be called Wise. Nevertheless, this creature is a reminder of the Old World where they came from, as such, he felt 'collecting' such a creature and felt that it should at least be useful to the Great Tomb of Nazarick.

Ainz and his party reached the crossroads that lead to the house of the Bareare and to the Adventurer's Guild.

"I must go to the Adventurer's Guild to register my 'mount' since it could be troublesome in the future if we always get stopped every time we go into the city. What about the rest of you?"

Dyne Woodwonder replied, "We would be returning with our client to escort him all the way. It would be more efficient if we would do that."

"Agree, Azlan, accompany them."

The disguised Angel General bowed and smiled, "Of course Momon-sa_N."

"Then I shall meet you at my home Momon-sama," Nfirea gave a small bow as members of the Sword of Darkness and Azlan, rather Azrael went with them. Momon and Nabe headed off to the Adventurer's Guild with the eyes of all passerby on them

Lukrut, with his infinite tactlessness asked Azlan, "Azlan-san, can you tell us a little about what happened to the comrades of Momon-san?"

Azlan sighed and shook his head, "I am sorry Lukrut-san, but if Momon-sama does not wish his story shared, then we can only hope that he will share the story on his own. Believe me, I do not wish to lose the trust of Momon-sama and I will not betray it by telling you stories to sate your curiosity."

Dyne and Peter can only smile as Nina said, "Ouch, our ranger got shot down without mercy."

"But, we are really lucky, we have not known that Momon-san is such a mighty warrior, he could easily surpass an Orichalcum ranked adventurer," Peter sighed and smiled, "He easily killed those Ogres with 1 hit! I mean I have never seen anything like it."

Nfirea kept silent as he listened to their chatting, to think such a mighty individual would be the savior of Carne Village. He had other servants aside from Nabe and Azlan, and according to Enri, there was another one like him. One that is as powerful as he is. It was frightening to know that such powerful individuals are currently living normal lives with them, he would not have thought it possible, but the proof was right in front of him awhile ago. Laughter rang through the group as everyone tried to tease Lukrut and his failed advances towards Nabe.

"She will be mine! Oh yesss- she will be mine!"

Peter laughed at this as he reminded their ranger about her abilities as a magic caster, "Remember, a rank 3 spell is a simple matter to her. Don't piss her off too much."

"I know, I know," the ranger grinned, "I'll be careful."

They reached the Bareare House and noticed something, Nfirea alighted from the wagon as his companions took hold of the numerous herbs and ingredients that they have gathered.

"Why are the lights off?"

"Maybe Grandma isn't home?" the talented young man opened the door and stepped inside, "She's usually going out in the afternoon to check ingredients in the marketplace. Anyways, lets just put the herbs at the back room."

They all trooped inside and headed for the back room, Nfirea was about to point out where they would put their herbs when a shadow moved from the corner of his eye. They saw a blonde young woman stepping out of the shadows while playing a stiletto in her hand, she was quite attractive, but her smile looked 'wrong' and 'twisted' in a sense.

A dangerous woman to be sure.

"Oh? Are you perhaps Nfirea Bareare-kun?" the woman asked, her voice mockingly child-like, "Your companions look good though, perhaps I can play with them?"

The Sword of Darkness party surrounded their client, forming a defensive wall as protection, they all focused on the woman when an elderly voice came up from behind them.

"Stop playing with them Clementine, we need to get the kid immediately."

The woman's face soured viciously as she bared her teeth at them, "Your no fun Khajit, well, we cannot do anything about it now," she takes out a pair of stilletos and smiled again, "Who dies first?"

"Nfirea-san, please retreat for now," Peter drew his sword and shield as Lukrut also drew his sword and Dyne facing Khajit, "We'll distract them so you can escape with Ninya."

"No!" Ninya protested loudly, "We're in this together."

In a blink of an eye, the former Black Scripture member Clementine vanished from their eyes as Peter felt a sharp pain on his left shoulder. Before he can turn though a leather boot was already coming from the right and he could not evade in time. Dazed and bleeding from the nose, he heard Lukrut clashing with the woman and a grunt of pain. He could also hear Dyne engaging the old man with the gnarled staff, but it sounded like he wasn't doing any damage. Peter wiped the blood on his eyes that impaired his vision, there was so much blood from his nose and a wound on his forehead opened spilling more of his blood on his leather armor.

 _'This is fuckin' hopeless! We need to get Nfirea-san away from here!'_

"Allow me to help," a calm voice suddenly spoke out loud as he finally cleared the last vestiges of blood that reached his eyes.

It was the magic caster that came with Momon-san, he carried no weapons on his body and he looked woefully unarmed against the dangerous woman.

"Oh? Another victim?" the woman giggled darkly, "Ooh! Diddly-dee, is that for me?"

"Careful Azlan-san, she's blindingly fast!" he shouted in warning just as Clementine vanished from his sight again.

A loud clang could be heard as he looked in shock at the scene before him, the dangerous stiletto that she wielded with ease rested on the cuirass that he wore. Her thrust that was so fast for the naked eye was caught easily by Azlan, the magic caster's right hand was also held back as the woman's eyes widened.

"You've got some skill..." the former Black Scripture grinned evilly.

'... and your wide open," Azrael opened his right palm and magic circles formed immediately, "[ **Vi Dis** ]"

A force so strong flung Clementine away from the disguised Angel that sent her through a wall and through the back wall of the house. Peter's eyes widened as Lukrut picked himself up while both Dyne and Khajit stared in surprised.

 _'What the hell...?'_

 _'Perhaps it was too much- well, too late for that!'_ Azrael shrugged his shoulders and turned to Khajit, "It's your turn now."

"Wait! I'm not done with you!" a scream outside could be heard as they heard her activate numerous martial arts, "I'll skewer you in half! [ **Ability Boost** ] [ **Greater Ability Boost** ] [ **Flow Acceleration** ] [ **Greater Evasion** ] [ **Pace of the Wind** ] [ **Invulnerable Fortress** ]."

"HYAAH!"

She could not understand it, her speed should be beyond what normal human beings are capable of and what warriors can even attain with their training. But not only did her strike get intercepted, she actually saw him smile as he allowed her weapon's tip to get close to his armor and at the last second grasped the hand holding the weapon effectively stopping it. If she did not activate her Martial Art, she would probably be hurt by the velocity she was travelling with and its abrupt stop.

It was unfathomable and impossible.

So she had no choice, this was a stain on her honor and she would not suffer this magic caster to live. She squinted her eyes as she aimed for the spot right between his eyes. Again, her enemy smiled just before he reached her and he actually took a stance as he prepared to counter-attack. All in a span of a millisecond.

"[ **Spatium Tenaci** ]" her forward thrust suddenly stopped by magic, numerous magic circles were opened on his left hand as she saw him open his right hand again, "You never learn, do you woman? [ **Vi Dis Secundus** ]"

This time she was thrown backwards with so much force she smacked the other wall of a neighboring dwelling, Khajiit in his annoyance waved his gnarled staff, "Useless woman! [ **Shield Wall** ]"

A shimmering wall blocked the way for Azrael as the necromancer retreated with his ally.

Not relaxing a bit, the Angel kept his guard up as Peter and his party rallied to him.

"Damn, what was that?" Lukrut gasped, a head wound was bleeding profusely as Ninya tried casting a Tier 1 Healing spell.

"It seemed to be a higher ranked adventurer," Peter tried to shake his head from the cobwebs of a concussion, "Damn, she's too fast."

"Don't relax yet, they will be coming a second time-"

As soon as he said these, three zombies came shambling inside as more came forcing their way from the door. Forming a defensive perimeter around Ninya, the Sword of Darkness began to be suffused with power as they all protected their mage. In front of them stepped forth the disguised Angel of Death, Azrael, he tried to limit his power as he turned to Peter and asked, "Will you be able to hold on your own?"

"No problem, but can you handle the source?"

Azrael or Azlan just smiled and began walking towards the door, every zombie that shambled inside gets their heads blown off by magic as if being pulverized by a large hand. Unbeknownst to the humans, he was merely swinging his fist around to hit the zombies in the face, they were relatively slow and could not even dodge if their life or rather unlife depended on it.

Easily the Angel reached the outside and saw the escaping form of the necromancer with the female warrior in tow. He lets them go as he dealt with numerous zombies left behind by their escape, of course, as much as he wants to give chase, Lord Ainz would be displeased if he would leave such monsters in an open city. No other choice then, Azrael puts his palms together and casts his spell.

"[ **Imbrem Lux** ]"

A magic circle appeared beneath his feet as his spell radiated power on a 100 meter radius where he was standing. Any undead caught in it was expunged and purged turning it into ash. A spell of the 5th tier, it radiated inside the house as a few moments later Peter and the rest of the Sword of Darkness with Nfirea in tow spilled outside. Quickly, they raced towards Azlan and rallied around him.

"Where are they?"

"They escaped through the sewers," Azlan closed his eyes and tried to scan the surrounding area, trying to divine where they were headed.

"Still, I have never seen that spell before," Ninya breathed deeply, her body's mana almost depleted, "The light touched the undead and they were purified, like those spells used by the priest of the 6 Gods, but I believe it to be more powerful."

"Indeed, banishment of undead usually takes 3rd tier, that spell is a bit higher."

Ninya stared in wonder, "What tier was it?"

"It was the-"

"Azlan!" a deep voice called out from afar as they saw Hamsuke carrying Momon, Nabe and an elder woman on her back. They waited for his arrival as the elder woman jumped down from the fluffy monster with a nimbleness that belied her years, she sought out her grandson and relief flooded her face as she saw him unharmed.

"Thank goodness your unharmed."

"Yes I am grandmother, thankfully, these adventurers were with me."

"Who were those people?"

"They're definitely not thieves," Azlan opened his eyes and breathed deeply, "They took nothing of note from your stores and seemed to gravitate in taking Nfirea-san."

"Me? What can they possibly gain from me?"

Lizzie Bareare's face changed and looked grim, "It is because of your talent Nfirea."

"My talent? But why?"

"You can use any magical item with ease, you have no restrictions on your end, thus you will not be limited by such things as racial limits or conditions that is needed to attain for an item to be usable."

"But to be this bold?" Dyne rubbed his beard in wonder, "Who were they?"

"In any case, we need to chase them down, we cannot let an enemy wander inside E-Rantel," Momon declared as he tasked each and every one of the steps they would take, "Me and Azlan will pursue the enemy and try to root them out. The Sword of Darkness and Nabe would escort Nfirea-san to the Adventurer's Guild and secure his safety."

"Agreed," Peter forlornly said, with the skill of the woman and the unknown old man with the gnarled staff, what can they do? He had no choice but to seek asylum at the Guild Base and hopefully, arrange to root out the enemy while being of great help to Momon. They marched off to their destination as Momon and Azlan quickly headed to their inn to gather their thoughts.

"What did you see?"

"His energy signature gravitates to the undead," Azlan walked briskly behind him, even fully armored the two of them walked faster than most humans could, "A necromancer perhaps my Lord."

"We must alert the Tomb, there could be a potential attack that they have not noticed, also alert the Battle Barge and Sammael."

They marched into the inn as he raised his hand and the front desk person nodded with familiarity, they barricaded themselves into their room as Ainz dispelled his summoned helm. He turned away from the Angel who closed its eyes as he tried to contact Nazarick. Their communication array that they constructed on the Great Tomb was not yet finished, but smaller modes of equipment that increase your magical capabilities for messaging someone can still reach the Tomb. Ainz tried to trace their enemies and began casting numerous magic of protection and warding.

 _"General Azrael? Do you have any word from Lord Ainz?"_ a sweet voice answered

 _"Yes, Lady Albedo we are under attack and-"_

 _"HURR-WWWWHAAATTTTTT!?"_ Ainz saw Azrael's eyes shot open and blood trickle from his nose, " _I shall send A LEGION AT ONCE TO DESTROY THE ONES FOOLISH ENOUGH TO ATTACK MY BELOVED!"_

 _"C-calm dow-"_

 _"OUR ARMIES WILL SWEEP THEM FROM THIS LAND, LO AND BEHOLD, THEIR DESTRUCTION IS NIGH! WAAAGGHHHH!"_

 _"C-calm down Lady Albedo and let me finish, we are not being attacked per se, rather we have suffered an attack and we would definitely be encountering more of the enemy since they got away."_

 _"I- I see-"_ her demure voice returned as she cleared her throat, " _I understand, what does Lord Ainz wishes to do?"_

 _"Be on alert. Additionally, if you can send word to the Battle Barge and also to Lord Sammael."_

 _"Understood, please be careful and guard Lord Ainz with your life."_

 _"No need to say what I would most certainly do,"_ Azrael said as he terminated the spell. Opening his eyes again, he saw that Ainz had re-summoned his armor again and headed for the door.

"Your information is correct Azlan, the enemy retreated to the E-Rantel Cemetery," Momon sheaths his two swords on his back and walked outside with the Angel in tow, "Gathered on a place with so much of the dead, I would not be surprised if the enemy is currently waiting for us."

"They'll surely prepare my Lord," both Ainz and Angel walked outside as he stretched, "Shall I show them the might of the Supreme Beings? Or would you like me to remain as it is."

"We shall see, though I suppose you can go all out if the situation is possible, or we won't be exposed too early in the game."

Azrael smiled, "Understood my Lord."

.

Meanwhile

.

"What the FLYING FUCK HAPPENED!?"

Clementine clutched her side as she limped quickly back to the cemetery as Khajit tried to support him, this was a major setback. He was not expecting that they would be travelling with a magic caster with such a powerful countenance, he was not able to feel him, but when he shot her with that magic of his that sent their resident assassin flying he couldn't help and feel a slight shiver in his arms. It was a magic he had not seen before, and it had affected her like this. Damn it all, now they're exposed and they had no other choice except to advance the time frame of the plan.

"SheeAaatt! What was that magic!? Not even the Theocracy has that kind of magic I have seen before. When I see that man again, he's mine!"

"I know," he held up a vial of potion that he gave to the injured woman, "Drink this, we're going too slow and they might be devising a plan to go after us. If we lose momentum then we could fail in our endeavor, as it is right now, there is enough time to grab hold of victory."

Grudgingly, she accepted the bottle and downed it in one gulp, instantly the pain vanished and her breathing returned to normal, indicating that her broken rib seemed to have mended itself. Khajit grunted as they reached the relative safety of the crypts, his acolytes gathered before him as he turned to Clementine, "We will soon be under attack, that magic caster will certainly come after us."

The woman scoffed, but pulled herself together and walked away. He knew she would prepare, and he would not underestimate his enemy right now. He took out his most prized possession and caressed it like a lover would one another. It glowed an eerie light as Khajit looked deranged under its influence.

"Yes, yes, we shall spread death- And soon your power should be enough to grant me immortality!"

He was still distracted when an acolyte was brought forward, the acolytes arms were tied from his arms up to the elbows. He had a gag on his mouth as his eyes bled with blood. On his head rested the 'Crown of Wisdom' a powerful item that would allow the usage of more complex spells, but in exchange a death sentence on the user. Additionally, those without talent would find themselves torn asunder literally, while those without magic talents would not even elicit a response from the item. However, since they failed to get their target he would have to go with plan B, summon all the undead he could muster, gather the negative energy on the Orb of Death until he himself can fulfill the spell he wished to cast.

"Master, the undead are now crawling out of the crypts and out of their graves," an acolyte shivered as they held down their former comrade, "What is our next course of action."

"Begin the operation, overwhelm the defenders of the middle ring and we will bathe this city in the darkest miasma."

"As you command Master Khajit!" his acolytes carried off their comrade as they prepared to assault the southern gate which faced the most number of concentrated dwellings.

An armored woman approached him as he looked at her from head to toe, "You seemed more armored than usual?"

"Tch!" she adjusted the cuirass she was wearing as she said, "Even if I go faster, he'll just catch me with that spell of his. Might as well wear this armor, gives me protection against offensive spells and enhances some of my skills."

"Then that is enough," Khajit pulled a hood over his robe and walked out of the tomb, the Jewel of Death held tight on his left hand, while his right carried his gnarled staff. As they came out they saw hundreds of undead were already clear of their graves, some armed while others used their bony hands. His acolytes were directing larger undead to the gate as the necromancer and Clementine marched outside.

"The night is still young," the old man grinned, "It's a good night to die."

.

Meanwhile

.

"My Lord-"

"Who is this Lord of yours Azlan? Care to introduce me?"

"Apologies, I did not mean to forget... Momon-sa_N"

The Lord of the Great Tomb sighed, "Its really weird when you and Nabe say Momon-sa_N"

"My apologies," the disguised angel bowed in apology, "It's really hard to act all familiar against such a Supreme Being-"

"Fine, fine, but do remember to keep in character."

"Of course, I shall do as you say Momon-sa_N."

Ainz sighed heavily as they headed for the cemetery, they rounded a street corner when they saw a loud explosion like something heavy had descended from the south gate and threw rock and debris everywhere. Frightened humans ran in terror as the undead spilled out of the cemetery gates, the soldiers tasked with defending the place was fighting a losing battle as zombies and lower-tiered skeleton grasped and clawed at them. The two heavy gates that kept the undead out, now hung on its side, the other one was blown off by a large creature wrecking havoc on the gate.

A mass of corpses that were bounded together, all moving, writhing and groaning, a dark blue colored _Necrosome Giant_ wrapped in bluish miasma.

"Azlan, help the humans, make sure they see me take down that creature."

"Of course my Lord."

Hurriedly, the disguised Angel made his way towards the defending guards as they fought a desperate battle for the high ground. Smiting left and right the undead that dare stand in his way, woefully inferior to the undead of the Great Tomb, Azlan made short work of the enemy as he reached the Captain of the Guards, he could see some of the soldiery were wounded others were exhausted to the point of collapse. They cheered him on as he cleansed the undead with his sweeping movements and finally turned to dust the remaining enemy near them.

"Thank the Gods- what? A Copper plate?"

Azrael smiled, "Please, judge not an adventurer by the color of his plate, but by the honor in his words and the strength of his deeds."

"Indeed, forgive my earlier skepticism, but I have never experienced the undead bursting out of the cemetery like this," the Captain gave orders to his second in command and continued, "I have called for reinforcements from the barracks and the Adventurer's Guild, but I doubt they have something that can deal with that."

He used his sword to point at the Necrosome Giant currently rampaging at the front gate, preventing the soldiers from mounting a steady defense, it crashed on them like a wave, inundating them with waves of rotting limbs from old corpses and malodorous smell that strained a person's concentration.

"Fear not," Azlan said confidently, "Momon-sama would take care of it."

"Momon-who?"

He pointed to a black armored warrior in the distance as the Necrosome Giant took another step forwards the civilian houses and away from the south gate. He pulled out a sword that was strapped to his back, with a great heave he threw the sword at the Giant and instantly it crashed down to the ground with a great groaning. A dust cloud covered them all as the black armored warrior moved forward, while the rest of the now freed-up soldiers retreated to the safety of their line.

Immediately, the soldiers formed a line at the ruined gate as Azlan and Momon joined together again. From a far the groaning and numerous pitter patter of naked feet reached their ears. An army of the undead could be seen marching from the horizon, Ainz turned to the Captain of the guards and said, "Hold the line, me and my companion would move forward, another of my companion and the rest of the Adventurer's Guild should be here shortly."

"But-" he was about to say they were just Copper Plates, but after seeing a display of his martial prowess, he knew they could not stop them," Be careful Dark Warrior!"

"Umu, we're off then," he took his two swords out and headed out into the foggy field with the white robed warrior following closely behind, they vanished from view because of the deep fog, but they could hear the sounds of clashing blades and crushing bones growing fainter as they seemed to walk out of range. Suddenly, numerous shadows appeared before the fog as ghastly faces of the undead pierced the blanket of fog, undead that managed to penetrate the death dealing the two copper plates were dealing inside.

"All right lads! Lock those ends-!" the soldiers formed a shield wall two line deep as those too exhausted or wounded were sent back to the barracks. The Captain paced up and down the line as he reassured his men, "Reinforcements are coming, we must hold until then, give them something to work off their lazy asses."

"Aye sir!"

The first of the undead line reached their weapon range, the battle for the E-Rantel Cemetery began again in earnest.

.

Azrael had 4 spheres of light circling his body as he levitated off the ground, they were purifying spirits that exorcised and dealt heavy damage against the undead. He followed Ainz closely as the undead generally ignored the Supreme Being as they marched towards the gate under the behest of someone diabolical or someone very skilled in manipulating energies of the dead. Ainz swung his sword left and right and sighed, this was going slow and the press of the undead was annoying for him, he turned to the Angel as he slashed another one in half.

"This is going slow, clean them up."

"Right away my Lord," he puts his open palms together and felt power suffuse through him, "May the light of the heavens dawn upon you, [ **Radiant Wave** ]."

A large golden magic circle formed in the air, roughly 50 meters in diameter as it threw white light everywhere purging each and every lower level undead in their vicinity. The mysterious fog was also blown away and only the steady sound of the distant undead groaning and marching can be heard. Ainz wiggled his gauntleted fingers and hummed.

"I don't seem to be affected, did you use a 6th-tier spell perhaps?"

"Yes my Lord, I dare not use the 8th tier magic that might affect you unless all options are out."

Ainz smiled behind his helmet although his skull face did not change, "Very considerate of you."

They hurried to the crypts and found their targets waiting for them, a red robed old man and a female warrior hidden in the mist. They hurried down to the crypts as they met their enemies face to face, Khajit sneered at them as Clementine still hadn't made her move even though they stepped out into the open.

"Greetings to all, allow me to introduce ourselves, my name is Khajit Dale Badantel, necromancer and a seated member of Zuranon."

"I am the dark warrior, Momon-" he stopped abruptly as he realized he had no surname, but inspiration dawned on him as he said, "-Momon the Black."

"-and I am the fighting scribe, Azlan of Cadia, pleased to meet you."

"Azlan," the angel bowed to the Supreme Being immediately, "Why don't you fight over there, let me handle the necromancer on my own."

"Come woman," the angel smiled coyly, "I'll show you defeat right in the face."

Silently, the woman called Clementine followed, she did not remove the hood hiding her face. She caressed her weapons one by one, a short sword, four stilettos, her cuirass, and her cape all part of her armaments. Fortified with magic, she also caressed the small bag on her back which carried her potions. There was no turning back, this man who dared humiliate her would soon be begging for mercy, she'll make sure to pulverize him with this, for sure!

As the scribe and the female warrior walked away, Ainz and his opponent, Khajit faced together and stared each other down.

"Pray do tell, how you can manage to defeat me with carrying those two sticks around will accomplish against me?"

Ainz did not reply, but instead swung his sword down to the ground. The force of the swing cracked the ground and the wind was forced out.

Khajit sneered, "So you have some skill for a warrior. But, you would be hard-pressed to fight me and my creation."

"Behold the power of the Jewel of Death!" the necromancer's eyes were crazed and drunk with power, he held out the jewel for all eyes to see as a great rumbling came from below Ainz's feet. Suddenly, a large claw came burrowing out of the ground, the undead creature pulled itself up as it showed 4 vacant slots for its eyes. In its place was the eerie light of an undead, it stood itself to full height as Ainz looked up to the terrifying creature before him.

A Skeletal Dragon.

Such a terrifying foe could not be felled by conventional magic, able to nullify magic up to the 6th Tier magic, it stands with an overall height up to three meters from the shoulders. This dragon is actually mimicking a real dragon as its bones that make up its body is made up for human bones bonded together with magic. Its body was devoid of all manner of organ and flesh, and its eyes contain four eyes sockets that glowed red with the life of the undead. Its large bony jaws were lined with sharp teeth and enormous bat-like wings sprouted from its back and it stood on four limbs.

Massively powerful that belies its bony appearance, and a complete bane for magic casters that can only cast up to the 6th tier, truly it renders one helpless and can level E-Rantel if it is allowed to rampage. Any enemy would step back and retreat, consider their options and plan for an attack.

But Ainz was not like any other enemy, he was an Overlord of Death. And this enemy, is mere child's play.

"You may struggle to the best of your abilities," the dark warrior Momon gave a dark laugh as he emanated a dark aura. Khajit took pause at the aura coming from this warrior, such dark aura was spilling from him, it was as if he was a necromancer like him. The way he was spilling out magical energy like he was a deep well of magic was mystifying to him.

Luckily, the armor he conjured for his dark warrior persona allowed him to cast spells, but he would not dare reveal them yet. Hmm, maybe a modicum of his power.

"Crush him Skeletal Dragon!" the old necromancer ordered the undead creature as it stomped forward and trampled Ainz underfoot. The sound of the dragon striking ground over and over again felt music to his ears as he eagerly anticipated the screams of pain from the warrior. However, it did not come, not even the sound of a strained cry or the breaking of bones, or any sound for that matter. He could only hear the dragon thrashing about in fury as it tried to destroy its enemy repeatedly.

Feeling something was amiss he ordered the Dragon to retreat, but a large double bladed sword was hurled towards the skull of his creature and it roared in pain. He reeled back, the undead creature actually roared back in pain. How can this be? And how can the flattened enemy throw its sword at his dragon with ease?

As if to confirm his unspoken suspicion, he saw the dark warrior Momon still standing where he last saw him. Unmoving, and unaffected, did he deflect those blows with his sword, or evaded them? A cold feeling seemed to grip his stomach as he beheld the still pouring aura of death around him. Why was he exuding that anyway?

 _'Perhaps its prudent to-'_ Khajit thought to himself as he raised the Jewel of Death again, "[ **Ray of Negative Energy** ], [ **Lesser Strength** ], [ **Undead Flame** ], [ **Protection Energy** ]."

The Skeletal Dragon stood up shakily, the sword that impaled its forehead falling to the ground with a thud. An easy wind flutters and sways Momon's cape as he raised his remaining sword to them.

"Azlan, we do not have the time! Show her your might!" his loud deep voice shook his being to the core as he said, "[ **Despair Aura II** ]"

A wave of undulating fear radiated from him as a truly terrifying aura emanated from him, the acolytes fainted immediately as they felt the aura coiling around their senses like the tentacles of a great beast suffocating them in its deadly embrace. Seeing his acolytes dropping down like a sack of potatoes, writhing in agony, clutching their heads in pain, and mouths frothing uncontrollably, Khajit almost lost his footing as well as he felt a powerful aura press down on him.

It was painful, oppressive and very, very hostile to life.

Even the dragon he summoned stood unmoving as the warrior Momon exploded with an Aura of death so powerful it dimmed the Jewel of Death.

"W-who are you?"

Momon began moving forward and Khajit was forced kneeling to the ground, he hadn't noticed that he was holding his breathe and a cold sweat peppered his bald head. Such pressure that not even the leader of Zuranon could match an overwhelming might of this caliber. As he heard the heavy footfalls of the approaching undead, his mind although shielded is being overwhelmed by the mental assault of facing such a creature. He channeled all the powers of the jewel in empowering his summon as another dragon came up from the ground. He began stepping back as he saw the two dragons trying with all their might to lay low the black armored warrior to no avail. Stomps from their large bony feet and swipes from their great tail failed to even dent or slow the approaching doom.

Khajit could not believe his eyes, it was like they were hitting something indestructible that the thrashing of these two Skeletal Dragons were nothing to him like a passing wind that made his cape flutter gently. With the darkness of his approach enveloping him, the necromancer clutched his gnarled staff and cried out.

"[ **Acid Javelin** ]"

Green blobs of strong acid formed on Khajit's side and hurled himself at Momon in a blink of an eye, but surprise and more fear gripped the old man's face as the spell passed him like he was not there.

" **I cannot be stopped,** " that infernal voice again that made his body shake from head to toe, as if to emphasize his words he was smacked by a giant bony tail and it shattered in his approach.

"[ **Shield Wall** ]" Khajit called out in desperation.

A brief light shimmered in front of Momon before something like glass shattering made the necromancer kneel down in shock.

" **Fuhuhuhahaha... amusing** ," Momon's vast body stood in front of him now, the two dragons arms and tails were shattered as he activated a passive skill and instantly damaged the dragons to incapacitation.

"Who are you-" Khajit Dale Badantel's life flashed before his eyes as he felt the large gauntleted hand grab him in the neck, "-show your face!"

Ainz dispelled his summoned plate armor and the necromancer stared in shock, fear and wonder. An undead? Momon the warrior was an undead.

"Who- wha- what are you?"

Resplendent in his magical panoply of obsidian robes, he gripped Khajit's neck in a firm hold and stared down at him with his crimson orbs not bothering to even grace him an answer, " **Taste your mortality.** "

There was no scream of pain, no drawn-out cry of mercy, only a whisper of a word so distant Ainz could not even remember when he last said nor thought of its meaning.

 _'Mama-'_

.

Meanwhile

.

After they walked away from Ainz and Khajit, both Azlan and Clementine settled near a nearby crypt that was previously vacated by their dead occupants. They faced each other, tension heavy in the air as she drew her short sword on her left hand and a stiletto on her right hand. Azlan breathed deeply and steadily in front of her. He stood with his hands behind his back, palm open and ready, while she crouched low and murmured the skills she activated in her mind.

"Ready to grind yourself to dust?"

His baiting did not get a rise from her, instead she focused even more on her enemy in front of her. She was a former member of the Scripture, her personality twisted beyond belief, both the extremities of deranged and focused. She can be unhinged to the point of insanity, but in this instance her focus knows no bound. A target, she only needs a target, Clementine scanned his body and tried found a chink in his armor, a weakness in his stance. A committed thrust on the left shoulder and a shadow blow to the neck or the extremity, just one blood, one damage would be enough to prove she could bring him down.

Her muscles grew taught and her breathing became shallow, everything seemed to move in slow-motion as she launched herself blindingly fast like an arrow, her left hand clutching the short sword in front of her as protection. A few nanoseconds later and she launched her right hand with the stiletto, aiming for his left shoulder. But Azlan simply turned his body to the left and crouched as she sailed past him, her eyes widened as he also launched himself backwards grabbing her in mid-air and then twisting her in a somersault that launched her further than she intended herself to be. She rolled to the ground trying to dissipate the force of his throw, finally she recovered and saw that Azlan came after her. Dodging a running kick, she spun and lets loose the short sword in a blind swing. Clipping his gauntlets and sending sparks everywhere, she retreated backwards as she assessed her situation.

 _'What the hell-_

When she clipped his gauntlet, all it felt was like a giant mass of something or an object was hit. The momentum of her martial art carried her through and dampened the blow somewhat, but something truly felt off at their contact.

It was like she struck something heavy and truly massive, like an unstoppable object compressed in such a small space. Like trying to hit an uncontrolled carriage loaded to the brim with goods

She was still contemplating her options when a loud call cuts through the silence of the night, it was the unmistakable voice of Momon. Amplified through unknown means, possibly magical or through an item. What she heard him say gave a small twinge of fear on her chest as she saw her adversary straighten up his back some more and looked up into the heavens.

" **Azlan, we do not have the time! Show her your might!** "

Clementine both felt and heard it as a loud rushing of wind emanated from the scribe, a faint golden glow seemed to envelope him as a faint golden halo materialized on his head. It was impossible and technically unheard of, but coming from the Theocracy she had seen her share of Angels before, and having a halo of their own is a definite trait of an Angel. But this was a human being in front of her, a breathing, living human that was in anyway not similar to the great angels summoned by the high-ranking members of Scriptures. Not even Captain Nigun of the Sunlight Scripture could summon a sentient Angel. Sure, perhaps he could summon a mid-tier angel, or an upper class angel, but not sentient ones. Quite frankly, she had not heard of anyone summoning angels with sentience, fearing it would be truly blasphemous and against the teaching of the 6 Great Gods if that would be so.

"I have no time," Azlan turned to the woman and the previous playfulness was gone, "Don't blink, it will be over in a flash-"

"What are you yapping on-" she blinked and he suddenly became a blur.

A primal fear shot through her body countered by her training as she raised the short sword instinctively in defense while readying the stiletto on her right hand for offense. In that split second she felt her body endure an extraordinary impact that shook her body to the core and launched her backwards with brutal force. She was literally lifted from her feet by the blow as he materialized in front of her, his fist looked gigantic from her eyes and the pressure she felt from the blow threw her body into the air.

The woman could not see anything, but judging from his last position she deduced that he must have moved more than 20 paces as he struck her with his fist sending her body flying to the sky in a split second.

After a few tumbles in mid-air she finally landed with a loud thud on the packed earth, rolling several times not just to gain distance from him, but a deliberate roll trying to bleed off the energy of the blow that she received. She knew that if she stayed firm and not moving, her body would have been eviscerated by the blow and she would not be taking lungful gulps of air as she tried to recover and dampen the pain she felt. Looking back at him she felt her back touch the walls of a nearby crypt as his distance from her had been quite great due to the blow he had dealt her.

Thank the Gods she was flexible and her left arm had gone unbroken even though the blow she received should have shattered her shoulders and arms with it. Staring at him from the distant, she ducked immediately as he became a blur again and her prayer continued as Azlan's leg whizzed past where her face had been. Instead, his kick struck the side wall of a crypt nearby and Clementine grits her teeth as she heard and saw the wall getting pulverized with the hit. She surmised that not even Gagaran, or any melee oriented fighter that she saw was able to crush or offer the same destruction as evident as this man.

The swinging leg whistled past her and she willed her body into action.

Extending her right hand, Azlan's leg met the pointed end of the stiletto, the former Black Scripture pouring all the martial arts she knew that could enhance her physical abilities even more. As the point struck the Angel's leg another much massive impact travelled from the weapon into Clementine's right arm, aside from being hit a while ago and her body being shook up, the blow made her feel like her whole right arm had been torn off. Something snapped on her shoulders and the blow actually made her spun while kneeling as she tumbled to the ground again, pin lights forming on her eyes as the concussion of the hit overwhelmed her senses.

"Graah!" she finally squealed in pain as she grabbed her right shoulder that was sticking out into fractured pieces.

Looking down at her exposed wound she bit her lip both in annoyance and pain, her clavicle or collar bone was sticking out and her right humerus was dislocated, her arm was broken in half with the bone sticking out of it. All in all it was a grim prognosis, she closed her eyes and felt a wind settle above her. With all emotions draining from her face, the last thing she saw as she bled all over the ground, was a large palm closing down on her.

The former Black Scripture assassin sighed, "Well shit-" and then it was darkness.

.

Nabe stood on the gates as she stood guard together with the Swords of Darkness and a few other Copper, silver, even gold plated adventurers as they gathered up and maintain a static defense on the ruined south gate. Two Orichalcum ranked adventurer teams were being assembled at the moment as a few undead stragglers made their way to the cordoned area. Hamsuke rested behind the raven haired girl as she stood as fluffy sentinel that guarded a companion of his master.

The gathered throng of soldiers and adventurers stared in awe at the sight of this magical beast as it spoke with such wisdom and superb diction and command of their language.

"This one is truly grateful to be of such use to my Master, I, Hamsuke would truly endeavor to provide the best of service for my gallant master."

The disguised doppelganger sighed, "You would be of great service if you would shut up."

"Truly now, I am declaring my utmost loyalty and service to milord, truly I am!"

"Something wrong Nabe-chan?"

If she could look angrier then Narberal or Nabe showed it on her face, more veins popped on her forehead as she noticeably grinds her teeth and her eyes turned to slits at the annoying insect currently buzzing around her. Lukrut smiled his roguish grin and showcased his perfect teeth, "Well, you look perfectly miffed at my presence Nabe-chan. I am truly thankful that you notice me, even though you hate me."

Nabe's eyes widened at the audacity and the implied meaning as she grabbed her sword and tried mightily not to draw her sword.

"SHADOWS! SHADOWS ON THE FOG!"

All eyes turned as shadows began to look visible through the fog, everyone readied their weapon except Nabe who instantly recognized the approaching person just from the sound of their footsteps.

A full plated warrior in black armor stepped out dragging a long rope through the fog, followed closely behind by a white robed man. They were trailing numerous ropes as the warriors on the gates relaxed as they saw the hero of the day. The Captain of the Guard that Ainz had saved approached them as they saw that the ropes they carried dragged numerous bodies. Wounded, unconscious, but alive and breathing members of Zuranon.

Handing the rope to the guards, the soldier can only shake his head in disbelief, "I can't believe how you did it? But you must come with us- we must file a report to the Mayor and to the head of the Adventurer's Guild."

"Understood, please lead the way."

"On a side note, how did you manage to defeat such numerous undead and subdue members of Zuranon?"

Momon the Black banged his plate armor as they began to walk away, "Through the grace and skill of me and my comrade."

The Captain was all smiles, the euphoria of the battle was surging as the gathered throng of soldiers and warriors chanted Momon's name. Peter, and the rest of the Sword of Darkness began shouting in earnest even the wounded soldiers and the few brave civilians who dared to go outside on a dangerous time to catch a glimpse of this jet black warrior came out in droves. Followed by a beautiful woman that seemed to rival even Princess Renner herself in her own fair self, and a white robed warrior scribe while being borne aloft on the back of a majestic beast. It was truly an awe inspiring sight, Hamsuke strutted the whole way as everybody urged Momon to take the reins and ride on his noble steed.

 _'Aha, apparently saving this city qualifies you to do shame play,'_ Ainz tried very hard not to sigh at his current situation, riding a gigantic fluffy hamster while everyone else cheers you on.

.

.

 **To be continued... Omake Theater: Nigun's Adventure**

.

A middle aged man with cropped blond hair and an 8-pointed star scar on his left face entered the front door of his mansion as he finally arrived on his home after days being grilled by the different Cardinals, all the great leaders that represented the 6 Great Gods that ruled humanity centuries before. They were wizened old men, advanced in years and in mind, yet they were all powerful humans that once served in the Judicial, Administrative and at one point had been part of the Theocracy Scriptures themselves.

No one can doubt that each and every one of them championed the welfare and well-being of humanity.

However, their relentless questioning showed him how these frail old men twisted the teachings of the 6 Gods. More and more he could not dismiss that these Cardinals truly revered the 6 Gods, but have twisted it so that the human race will rise above those that is stronger than them.

Still he endured their tireless questions, what's more all the spells of divination casted on him to ward off spells or force him to tell the truth were thwarted. It should not have been possible, but then again the words of Lord Sammael came unbidden in his mind.

 _'None shall strike you down while you carry my immortal favor.'_

Gently, he caressed the 8 pointed star on the right side of his face. The blessing of his God, could it be? His senses were heightened like a beastman, while the 3rd tier divination magic casted on him were all nullified without the knowledge of the caster. Nigun headed for the darkened living room and poured himself a goblet of wine. As soon as the drink touched his lips, the taste disgusted his lips. What is this? This is nothing compared to the drink of the Gods! He threw the cups on the side spilling wine all around, he stood up and faced the direction of Carne Village, the general direction where he encountered his God.

 _'...I should pray.'_

Kneeling down, he closed his eyes and removed his upper tunic and began his prayer in earnest.

"Oh mighty and exalted One, hear the plea of your loyal servant. I pledge my loyalty everyday forward, by your Will I shall spread your word. By your will I shall spread your love and your worship to the masses. Let none hold back the tides of your coming."

"Lord Ainz and Lord Sammael, may your names be carved on the chest of your enemies, may enemies know fear of your mighty powers, may they tremble at your every approach, and may their rivers run red with their blood as sacrifice for your glorious coming. I, Nigun Grid Luin, pledge my blood and my life to this cause, for I shall embrace death without regret, as I have embraced this life you have given me without fear."

"Let this world burn under your name Warmaster!"

And Nigun deftly took a long sharp knife and ran it across his left arm, he produced a small cup and made an 8 pointed star on the wooden floor using his blood to write on it. He closed his eyes and felt power suffuse his body, when he opened them again he saw another mark of Sammael on his chest like a tattoo. He suddenly felt dizzy as he slumped on the ground, but something was not right. Nigun shook his head and propped his body with his left arm. As he exerted force on his left hand the wooden floor cracked with ease and he was taken aback with his strength. He lifts up his hand and saw black markings that extended from his chest up to his left hand. As soon as he relaxed and calmed his mind though the marks quickly receded and vanished from this left arm.

Still a bit confused, his heightened senses felt something move behind him.

"Who are you?" he could not see them, but he could it, "Show yourselves!"

"Fufufu... it seems the blessings of the Supreme Being is not wasted in you."

A man in an orange suit and tie stepped out of the shadows, his black leather shoes and business-like demeanor registered in his mind. The man had round rimmed glasses and its raven hair was swept back slick by some substance as hair do not usually become like that. It had a pleased smile as it approached him while a silvery tail waved on its back, his long ears had silver earrings on them as he hummed excitedly at his approach.

"I can't help but admire your prayer, as expected of a servant of Lord Sammael, " the obvious monster inclined its head, "I am Demiurge, Guardian of the 7th Floor of the Great Tomb of Nazarick."

Nigun's eyes widened, he knelt immediately and bowed his head.

"What does my Lords require of this humble servant?"

"They wish you to succeed, hence, my appearance before you," Demiurge walked around and scrutinized the living room, "Though I understand you wish that the Supreme Beings to rule over this place, they cautioned you well about possible interference by other servants of the False Gods."

"I understand, on that end I have already begun to sow the seeds of doubt. Give me time, I shall rally the masses in their glorious names. The Noble Faction will be turned and remained as stalwart as a zealot would be while gripped in their religious fervor for him, they can be seduced by power, enough personal power and they would kneel before our Lords without question."

Demiurge smiled, "I believe that, on that end, I shall leave someone to ensure that you will have the support of the Great Tomb in all your hardships. Keep in mind, do not call upon the Gods for help lightly, for their answer may be too much for you, but your prayer truly intrigues me."

Nigun bowed respectfully, "I understand, I can work on my own if needed. If I should need resources or additional help, then I would inform this person. Curiously, in regards to my behavior let me impart my thoughts, humanity pray to the Gods to empower them and give them safety, although superficial in most eyes, it certainly helps uplift someone in a strange way."

"Curious insight, intelligent, I'm beginning to see what the Warmaster sees in you," Demiurge turned to the shadows and beckoned, "Come and introduce yourself, step out of the shadows so you can meet Lord Sammael's Heretic."

A small girl wearing traditional Japanese clothes stepped out from the darkness, her large cute red eyes, and brown hair tied up in a twin chignon. However, Nigun knew better than to judge the girl as a mere human like him.

"Good evening, my name is Entoma Vasilissa Zeta, a member of the Pleiades Battle Maid of the Tomb of Nazarick. Pleased to meet you heretic."

Her voice is like a cute girl, though something was off. The human noticed that she hasn't blinked even once or moved her lips to even speak to him. One thing is for sure, she is not human and it would be best to tread lightly.

"Greetings, my name is Nigun Grid Luin, servant of Lord Sammael."

"Excellent, a human with excellent manners," Demiurge's smile could only be considered nefarious, but they didn't seem to notice as he gave a small laugh of contentment, "Then I shall leave you two now and be acquainted with each other. Entoma, you are to maintain cover with him as instructed by the Supreme Beings. Is that clear?"

"Understood Demiurge-sama," the maid bowed and assured him, her voice sounding suspiciously pouty at the statement.

The demon gave a small smile and walked back to the shadows, as soon as they were left alone Nigun reeled back in surprise as Entoma now stood right in front of him, mind you he was standing a distance away from her. He also found that her grip on his hand was hard that he felt pain, but as soon as he concentrated on the pain the markings on his chest spreads out to the immobilized hand and the pain vanished. He also felt that he could break the grip with his newfound strength, but instead he asked inquisitively, "What are you doing?"

She said nothing except take his other hand, the one that was cut before, which already healed into her other delicate looking hand. Bringing the healed wound on her lips, she licked the quickly drying blood clean off Nigun's skin. Taking careful note that her tongue was quite rough, she was looking down and he could not see her face as she licked his left arm clean. She lets go as she finished cleaning the blood on his arm, letting it dangle back on the side of his body.

"Muscular and tangy..."

"What?"

Entom adorably sniggered, "It's nothing... I shouldn't waste food," and promptly walked away heading for the darkened corridors leaving Nigun shivering not from the cold, but something else entirely.

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 **Author's Note:**

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[Imbrem Lux] = Shower of Light

[Vi Dis] [Vi Dis Secundus] = Force Push / Force Push type 2

If Ainz DOES NOT become an Adventurer, then he would not have gotten HAMSUKE. The Guardians would dismiss her as someone or something beneath the notice of the Supreme Beings. That's for sure.

I see my story keeps getting longer and longer every chapter, this only proves that I'm not probably at a 1/4 of the way there. For most reviewers, I have so many influences for this fanfiction, mostly Warhammer 40K(Dawn of War II, Battlefleet Gothic), Darksiders, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Rick Astley and many more.

I want to thank you guys for reaching 50 reviews, hopefully, you my dear readers will continue to give me insights and review on what made you happy reading this fic. What you think must be improved, suggestions are always welcome and I shall actually consider your idea to be included. (With credits to the person of course!)

 _._

Cheers,

Scarabeye3000


	7. Tactika Politika

Disclaimer: Still not mine, nor yours.

 **Title: Heaven or Hell**

Chapter 7 - Tactica Heretika

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Arwintar

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The capital of the Baharuth Empire shone like an ancient Mediterranean kingdom with its uniformed white walled villas and red-roof tiled houses. The Imperial Crown pushed for the absolute beautification of the capital as its citizens enjoy peace, freedom and prosperity throughout the land. Not just in the cities, but in almost every town and fortress city, the Empire boasted one of the most stable economy in the continent only rivaling the Karnassus City-State Alliance and the Holy Kingdom. Trade and commerce flourished through the Empire, as the food supply remained constant and in bountiful amounts. It was quite common for families to have more than two children even to the so-called peasantry, for they enjoy a subsidy on their cost of living allowance due to the wealth enjoyed by the Empire.

In the time of the Emperors of old it was not always like this, life was more similar between the Kingdom and the Empire. The Nobles acted like powerful oligarchs that run the country, controlling everything from the economy, trade, including the peasant levy and the militia that used to form the core of the Empire's military. This kind of archaic management only laid waste to the numerous people with enough potential to uplift their lives to be dismissed by those that have continued to live in their eternal power struggle with the crown, a government that was set to fail and collapse in on itself.

This weakness that the new Emperor had seen in his predecessor's government prepared in advance to smoothen his ascension, to consolidate his power and secure his political base. When he was still the Crown Prince, he advertised himself a supporter of the common folk, a friend of the masses and a stalwart supporter of the soldiery and a patron of the Order of Imperial Knight. So when the time came for him to rule and his enemies from the Noble Faction reared their heads, he used the military like his enforcers and swept his enemy nobles into obscurity. As such, because of the oppressive grasp of the nobles relaxing and the more talented and skilled are given an equal chance instead of being born into it had taken over, innovation and idea flourished. Position is measured not how deep your pocket is, but by your skill and your passion in life and in your work.

This prosperity is reflected in the way the citizens have reaped the benefits of this uplifted way of life.

As such, the main market bazaar showcased the newest addition to its well-known landmarks. The new store that occupied another old building vacated by a wealthy fabric trader after their family was 'purged' by the Emperor, was purchased by one of Sammael's Angels. It was a large place that showcased a middle hall that was opened up to the 2nd floor, a rectangular building that boasted a cellar and upper terrarium. All the wares are displayed behind glass closets that is manned by numerous helpful brown robed and masked servitors. The only ones not masked were the maroon-red robed, humanoid Magos that served as supervisors while watched alternatively by Baramus and Zadicus.

Red robed Skitarii guards stood outside and on the roof as people passed by with curious stares and wonder in their minds. Both the wealthy and poor were welcomed and the same courtesy were afforded to them, from household items and utensils to fabric and everything else in between. It is with this setting that they welcomed their newest and most esteemed customer yet.

Somewhat expecting him to come calling after the probing he shelled at the party on their master's new residence. Baramus was not surprised to see the Tri-Arts Magic Caster Fluder Paradyne walk into their premises with a somewhat determined smile.

 _'... and this old man just jumped into the Lion's Den.'_

Fluder on the other hand cannot deny the nagging curiosity gnawing on his mind, not denying the fact that he was quite inquisitive in all matters, but the matter of the three servants and their master not having any aura he could detect keep him wondering in his mind. In any case he can always take a look see if something is amiss, no one would dare to fight him let alone do it within the Empire itself and in the capital no less. He was confident he could handle anything they throw at him for he knew his power was unparalleled. Possibly matching the only surviving member of the 13 Heroes, which is Rigrit Bers Carau who also lengthens her life by magic.

With that in mind he confidently entered this curiosity in his memory as he decided to refresh his mind after being stumped for the umpteenth time by their _'secret project'_ beneath the hallowed grounds of the Magic Ministry.

So, he decided to pursue other interest to get his mind off of things. A trait he had developed during his long years of trying to innovate in the field of magic. The stress and frustration of his failed attempts to subjugate a Death Knight weighed heavily upon him. To release the tight fisted feeling he had in his head, he thought of the pointless things he wished to pursue and remembering his divination that he did to the new merchant of the Empire brought forth feelings and thoughts of instability. The thought of someone shielding themselves from him made his mind churn. Why would you shield yourself from me?

Are they perhaps doing something illegal or against the Empire?

Perhaps he could learn more.

With that thought in mind, Fluder Paradyne stood in front of Baramus and smiled jovially at the disguised angels.

"Ah! Master Paradyne, to what do we owe the pleasure?" the angel asked affably, he was calm and collected amidst the pressure the old man was subtly emitting. It was laughable though what the humans consider one of their most powerful representative, he wagered a guess that if they would fight one on one then they should be finish in like. A blink of an eye?

The old man smiled, "I require magical robes and a magical staff if you have them."

"Surely, anything made by the Magic Ministry is sure to be superior from whatever we churn out from our workshops."

"Be that as it may dear Baramus, I would still inquire to see your magical wares," deftly he took out a coin, a coin which the Angel immediately recognized, "Shall this payment be enough?"

Baramus bowed and took the Yggdrasil gold coin that they used to purchase the premises, undoubtedly, the word of mouth about those that managed to get one was it offered you additional selections unseen by all others. As the Angel hid the gold piece again, he led the old man to a set of stairs and pointed upwards, "My lord Samuel and my colleague Zadicus would have been alerted of your arrival, they will show you additional items for your selection."

"Thank you very much."

Fluder walked up towards the 2nd floor without being stopped by the red-hooded soldiers that formed up the security personnel of Samuel's Trading House. He looked down and admired the burnished wooden steps, a small chandelier made of crystals hung from the ceiling as the top of the stairs showed 2 more guards at the final landing. As he reached them, they parted for him and lets him pass, he arrived in the end of a hall and saw Zadicus waiting for him in front of a door.

"Grandmaster Paradyne, my master is expecting you."

He replied with an elderly nod of his head and followed the angel to another set of double doors where they saw Samuel hunkered down on a scroll with numerous maroon robed Magos poring data with him.

"Ah! Master Paradyne, welcome to my Trading House," Samuel began pleasantly, "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"The Grandmaster wishes to acquire additional robes," Zadicus intervened, "Preferably our magical ones in the upper inventory."

The Fallen rubbed his chin and looks at Zadicus, "Have the payments been made?"

"Of course my Lord."

"Very well," Samuel clapped his hands and the Magos with him quickly picked up the scrolls cluttered about and pushed the heavy table out of the way. A full sized mirror was slid out by servitors and the Tri-Arts Magic Caster was positioned right in front of it, Zadicus took out a tape measure and began taking the measurements of the old man.

"Tell me Master Paradyne is this for a formal event or for combat?"

"I would prefer both, but it would be a shame to waste such aesthetic clothing to a well-placed fireball spell," deftly he took another piece of Yggdrasil gold and handed it to Samuel, "If you can manage it, I suppose 1 for formal and 1 for social."

"For the formal setting, is this for day or night?"

"I would need both too."

"I see," a Magos was writing down on a piece of parchment as Zadicus also rattled off the measurements he was taking and the side notes and questions made by Samuel.

"In what style and magical resistance pattern do you prefer? Kingdom, Theocracy, or Empire?"

Fluder decided to test them, "Something that came from where you were that exceeds all 3 selections."

I see, Sammael thought as he smiled and nods his head, the old man is actually fishing for information and would like to know if there is something noteworthy about us. Regrettably, he might have to dispose of the old man if things go south, a feat that might require more subtlety that he was more than capable of.

"Any particular augmentation that you fancy?" Samuel asked seeming nonplussed.

A glint in the old blue eyes were hidden by the long eyebrows, but it was seen by the Fallen as Fluder said, "If you can manage resistance beyond 6th-Tier spell I would appreciate it... of course, if you did manage that I might have to _'kneel'_ down in front of you in servitude."

"Servitude?" Sammael was taken aback, such brazen talk about betrayal was music to his ears. This old man could be the ticket he needs in the Empire, although if he would be careless, then all the preparations they have made would have been all for naught, "Such powerful words indeed, from a powerful man."

Silence descended on them with only the occasional hushed words of the measurement of the Magos and Zadicus while Samuel looked on from behind like a sentinel. He turned towards a decanter and poured himself a strong drink, "Tell me Grandmaster, would you require a magical weapon too? A staff perhaps? or a wand?"

At this the older man rubbed his chin while deep in thought, "I would prefer a staff made from an elder wood, or any kind of wood that easily channels mana and magic."

"Hmm, we have received word of a treant sleeping in the Great Forest of Tob, a passing hearsay if you must permit it," Sammael shrugged his shoulders, both unsure and baiting his guest as he gives him a small glass of brandy, "Would you have any information about it?"

"Oh, so you have also heard of it? There were reports before of a legendary malignant tree that had laid waste to the Elven Kingdom in the Forest of Tob, with the Elven Kingdom decimated, they were forced to go to the edge of their southern border where they are now locked in a border war with the Slane Theocracy."

 _'That was new, we do know that there was an elven kingdom once in the center of the Great Forest, but it is surprising to know that a treant managed to drive them away huh? Perhaps the twins can find a way to contact the remnants of the Elven Kingdom, though this treant business is beginning to interest me,'_ Sammael smiled and nods his head, "Very well then, if you can wait for a month while we verify that the treant is truly there, then we would endeavor to get a piece of wood from the main trunk and fashion you a staff."

Fluder's eyes visibly twinkled and lets out a breath of contentment as he also downed his drink, it was smooth and fragrant, a bit bitter however, though it only adds to the flavor of the drink.

"Oh! You do spoil this frail, old man," there was a glint in his eyes that did not escape everyone's notice, "But, a truly idiotic man without my ability would buy your reasons for coming here, but I for one cannot believe such a thing as what you told most people on the party. I do felt truthfulness in your words, but it shrouded some other reason that I cannot fathom."

"Hmm, it is as you say, what is it then that you truly desire Grandmaster Paradyne? Amuse me then with this question. Do you desire further wealth, fame, or personal power, which you already have."

The choice gave the old man pause, why was he being asked this? Was there an end game to all these? Perhaps, maybe-

"All those you mentioned matters little to me, in fact I care little for such things," there was a dark look that passed the old man, but it was gone as soon as it came, "But I do wish to gaze at the abyss of magic."

Sammael genuinely did not know, "Care to elaborate Grandmaster?"

Swirling the last of the reddish liquid called brandy in his glass, the old man took a measured sip and sighed, "It is about magic lore, the well of all magic. The place, a figurative place of course, where all of life take their magic from. It allows us to utilize the benefits of magic, although for you and your servants, they are shrouded or at least, blank in a way."

 _'Confident and brusque, truly an old man who had grown old having his way every single time. Not that you can blame him though, he is the Tri-Arts Magic Caster,'_ Sammael sighed and said, "We have your measurements now Grandmaster and to answer your question, what would you give then in return if you would be given a chance to see beyond what you can see?"

The dark and greedy look returned at the old man and the Fallen almost reeled back at the deranged mask the former jovial face had taken. It was as if a different man suddenly came upon standing before them. This was the true face of Fluder, a human so driven with finding his dream of the abyss of magic that it corrupted him slowly over time. A mask was put to cover the rot within, yet its content could not be held so easily that its pus-filled and decaying interior would occasionally show its ugly side.

Be that as it may, he welcomed this for they could certainly offer something to the old man.

"If I would be given a chance, then I would give everything."

"Everything Grandmaster?"

"All my gold, my personal effects, my research, my position, this Empire if it is asked," he drained the last of the brandy and sighed, "My faith lies in the God that rules and presides over magic _,_ if you can show me this God of Magic then I will immediately recant all faiths and prostrate myself before them."

A cold fulfilling chill seeped through Sammael's body, they have found their contact at last.

"Zadicus, summon your brothers, we shall have Master Paradyne as our guest in our barge."

"As you will," a flash of light later and he was gone. Fluder's eyes widened, that was no mere [ **Gate** ] spell. It was something else entirely and judging from the mana traces, it is superior than that spell, could it be that he was right about these individuals.

"Care for another round?"

Fluder gives his small brandy glass and watches as Sammael poured a measured amount, he swirled the liquid inside and held it into the light. Satisfied that the color is in the rich bronze and gold color he preferred and the bouquet of the spirits dissipating in the glass, he handed the glass back and poured some for himself. He walked over to the window and sighed, "It is as you say, we are powerful magic caster. I can show you later, but I prefer you know what you are dealing with. Let me just clarify one thing Grandmaster, I have never seen this abyss of magic of yours nor have read of it. Is this something inherent with the readings of the Empire?"

"As I said, it is a figurative place of magic, it is where all magic is pulled from, a place where mana is used freely. Our world has mana in every living thing, object, or place, but the abyss of magic is the source of it all."

"You mean heaven?"

"Heaven is where the angels and the Gods are, the Theocracy teaches it is where the Gods reside however, even though I have read about it I have not found anything to prove nor refute this information."

Sammael sighed again, "I see, this is unfortunate then. I am curious about the Gods in this region and would like to know more, possibly any traces that would lead me to a higher understanding of these Gods."

Fluder smiled and took a sip of his drink, "In that I can help, I can grant you access to the restricted lore and pages that the Imperial Library has. It is not for the faint of mind to look upon."

A flash of light interrupted them and finally 3 men stood in front of them, the old man relaxed, there was no aura of hostility, no outward show of force. Just 3 submissive looking mana blanks that totally confounded him. He was about to comment on them when Sammael cuts him off.

"You have my permission to remove your limiters."

The old man watched as the 3 moved in sync and removed the rings on their left ring finger at the same time. As soon as the rings left their hand a bright flash almost blinded him as their powers reached a power he had never seen before. Tears formed in his eyes as he cried out in terror, the overwhelming might arrayed in front of him shocked him to no end, he was a babe compared to at least one of them. He tried to recover and saw their bodies wreathed in a glow that signaled their affinity, his eyes bugged out as he saw them armored in their panoply, their individually feathered wings made them massive in his eyes as their aura inundated him with so much force he believed he would drown from the sheer amount of it.

"Oh- oh! Oh my lords! Please- please!" Fluder finally recovered and dropped the brandy glass, it shattered on the marble floor as he puts his head on it and begged like his life depended on it, "Teach me- teach me!"

"Pick him up."

Forcefully he was stood up as Zadkiel bent down and picked him up, "My Lord has commanded you to stand, be intelligent enough to follow his words."

"Yes- yes of course, forgive me- but, I must know. For you to command such beings, are you a God!?"

Sammael shrugged as he played with his ring still on his left hand, he drained the brandy and waved his hand. A [ **Gate** ] opened in front of them as he turned to the three Angels, "Zadkiel will come with me to the barge, Leliel the plan moves forward, Bardiel secure the Trading House."

"Understood my Lord," all 3 Angels bowed in salute as he nods his head and heads towards the [ **Gate** ] with Fluder in tow.

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As soon as Fluder stepped out of the other side of the Gate what he saw was the clouds gathered before him, if he could not be shocked even more, boy was he wrong. A lush garden amidst the clouds, truly this is impossible, but yet here they were walking a cobblestone plaza with numerous gazebos, birds and trees, from a distance though a blue armored giant stood at attention. He stifled a tear as he saw the aura of the blue armored angel who again bowed to Sammael in both respect and worship, was he right in the assumption that the unassuming merchant was far superior to these beings he encountered?

If 4 of his troops can use the 8th tier magic that blinded him a while ago, what was he capable of?

His answer came when Sammael finally took hold of the limiter ring and removed it from his left hand. Another much brighter flash of light blinded him for a second as he focused on the one they called Master. Without thinking about it he kneels in front of Sammael as the shroud that hid him from his skill was finally lifted. It was simply too overwhelming.

Right in front of him stood the testament to the 10th Tier of Magic, a Tier shrouded in mystery and fraught with legends that could not be discerned which was fact and what is fiction. His long flowing black hair, golden eyes and impressive physique, an inverted wing sprouted from his back which was individually feathered and glittered with gold dust that flickered in the sun.

"Oh venerable God of Magic, I prostate myself before you- please, I beseech you, teach me. Teach me."

The venerable God of Magic spoke in a deep voice, his commanding presence and powerful tone sent shivers down his spine, _" **Behold my Majesty and basked in its light. I have asked** **you before human, what can you offer me in exchange for the chance to surpass yourself- now, I ask you differently, what can you convince to give me in return~?** "_

"Everything my Lord!" the crazed man did not felt the pain on his old bones as he knelt and kow-towed in front of him, "Everything, everything you ask of me!"

Standing up to his full height, Sammael opened his left hand to him and smiled, " **Stand up then, we have much to discuss.** "

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Slane Theocracy

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Count Erythro stood on the steps of his luxurious carriage as he looked at the large villa in front of him, the place had many fond memories for him, his father and the former Lord were best friends. They were partners in the Theocracy officer corps and this house was one of their summer villas gifted to him after a successful purge of a settlement of demi-humans some years ago. Regrettably, his father ventured into the trade and used his considerable influence to propagate their wealth further, his friend though garnered more honor and influence in the military until finally gave his life in the upholding of the teaching of the Theocracies Creed.

 _'The Superiority of Humanity.'_

The villa was quiet, not a soul stirred from the shadows as the invitation explicitly said come alone. The walled estate was located on the edge of the outskirts of the Theocracies Capital and as expected it was heavily patrolled and monitored by the numerous eyes provided by the Thousand Mile Astrologer. Additionally, the house of a Scripture Captain is afforded 24 hour monitoring and they were as safe as you can be. His adjutant stayed on the carriage as instructed by the Count as he made his way into the house. Reaching the door, he was about to knock loudly when it opened and he found himself looking down on a diminutive maid he had never seen before.

The maid bowed and kept her stance while speaking, "Greetings my Lord," her voice was small, sweet and soft, "Lord Nigun is expecting you, please follow me."

She turned without preamble and headed inside, Count Erythro followed quickly and found himself feeling a little cautious about the place. His friend Nigun was a flamboyant person, a bit narcissistic like his father, but understandably so. They were raised that way, to view their superiority as a way of life for it is in their genes and in their blood. They were descendant of the Gods and they could trace their bloodline into one of the families that was sired by the Great Gods themselves. But a shroud of doubt and wonder descended recently upon his friend as the Theocracy sent his friend to a very nasty assassination mission that was foiled by an unknown being he could not even described.

Whispers of a spell gripping his mind permeated of how it affected his ability to think, or that it forced him to preserve the secret that they wish to obtain from him. Not to mention how he royally fucked up the assassination that had brought shame to his name and annihilated the Sunlight Scripture from the roster of the standing forces under the command of the Theocracy. Additionally, not only did he failed miserably, incriminating evidence was taken from him and the missing family members of the men under his command is calling for his execution. Erythro sighed again, to what end can his friend endure such shame? Would he take his own life? It would be a waste to do so and would deny humanity the chance to take advantage of his genes, whatever the case it maybe, he came here for him and it is this reason that he came here alone. Resigning himself to sorting this out tonight, he squared his shoulders as he was finally led to a bright room illuminated by a powerful [ **Light** ] spell. In the middle of the room sat Nigun, he was dressed in his casual tunic and their eyes met with the familiarity of family.

"Erythro, come and join me in my seat."

Tentatively, he sat down on a chair beside Nigun as he offered a glass of wine in a crystal goblet, which he graciously accepted. The sweet scent of fruits that was evidently emanating from the wine as the nobles knew how to properly treat and serve wine to their peers. Taking a conservative sip, Erythro cleared his throat and began.

"Tell me what ails you my friend."

Nigun noticeably sighed, "Nothing my friend, it is just that I have seen and endured much during this past week with the 'gifts' of our illustrious enemies reminding me everyday of my failure."

He gestured to the scar on his face courtesy of 'Blue Rose' when they prevented him from slaughtering a tribe of demi-human that was tasked by the Cardinals.

"A small price to pay in service to our Gods."

"Are they truly our Gods?" the whispered words could all have been a shout from atop of a great tower as the implied meaning thundered through the noble's mind.

He frowned and took a more forceful gulp of the wine, "Does my ears betray me? Is the last living line of the Luin Family wavering in his faith?"

"Bah! What do you know of my suffering? You judge me from my doubts, from my words, yet you do not know yet the reason for these words. You of all the people in the Theocracy should know how I have sacrificed, given and upheld the words and beliefs of the Theocracy."

Erythro went silent as he looked at Nigun in forgiveness, "Perhaps, I was hasty to judge you. Dismissing your current state and status within the Nobles-"

"Pfft! What do they say about me now?" the former Captain's voice was full of bitterness, "Baby killer? Agent of genocide? Assassin?"

"Somewhere along those lines," his friend licked his lips as he swirled the drink in his glass, "This is excellent wine by the way."

"I'm glad you approve," he took out box of raisins and nuts and offered it to his friend, "But my faith was shaken and I admit it to you."

The noble took a sip of wine and a few bits of dried raisins and nuts, "Was this in connection to the failed assassination attempt?"

Nigun nods his head and rubs his head with a free hand, "I have encountered a being that showed me the power of the Gods."

"Surely you jest, not only do the power of the Gods command the 10th Tier, but it is impossible to be attained by us humans. Such power would have been revealed to the Cardinals right away, how can you be sure of the power of such beings?"

"Because I have fought these Supreme Beings and lived, I begged for my life and they granted me mercy, said they have a use of me, a purpose if you will."

Erythro felt a tug on his stomach, if his friend is found consorting with an unknown force, he would be branded a traitor, their wealth seized and their name tarnished forevermore. That does not include those that he have consorted with even him, he braced himself and asked, "... and what is this purpose?"

"To be an instrument, as they subjugate the world."

A cold chill sent goose bumps through his skin as he heard the whispered voice of his deranged friend. It's official, Nigun has officially lost his mind. He downed the wine in one gulp and sighed, "Have you considered going to a doctor?" he tried to joke him, anything to break this train of thought from his friend.

"Erythro, what I am about to tell you is a story for the Gods, it would be wise if you would not repeat this to unfriendly ears, if you do not wish to partake in this with me then you may leave and must tell no other about what I am about to tell you," his voice sounded grave as his black eyes hardened even more, "If you tell a soul I cannot guarantee your safety, do I have your word you would not say it?"

The noble smiled and took out a piece of jewelry, "I am a Priest of the Theocracy, a Healer, Confessor and upholder of the words of the Gods. If I have to hear heretical words from my friend to beat some sense into him then so be it. Pour it on then."

Nigun smiled and pours him another fill of the wine, "The Sunlight Scripture that I have commanded was wiped out by one man, no- not a man, rather than one being."

"I have summoned the _'Dominion Authority'_ during that battle, but the servant of that Supreme Being destroyed our trump card with one spell and destroyed a hill that was in the line of the blast."

"One spell was all it took to destroy the highest tiered angel, one spell and it shook all my beliefs to the core, one spell and I saw how foolish we view the Gods that we are serving now."

There was no lie in his voice, nor conceit, it was as if he really did see something horrific, "What else did you see?"

"Legions upon legions of soldiers too numerous to count and the symbol of the other Gods that they have slain-"

"W-wait, hold on, are you telling me that the Being you encountered has slain Gods? What blasphemy is this? Only the Eight Greed Kings were capable of killing a God, and because he was alone hence the reason for the demise of Lord Surshana... may he bless us with his immortal hand, that was the only reason he could have died."

Nigun stood up and began removing his raiments, "Bless? Blessing indeed-" Erythro looked on as the mark on Nigun's chest pulsed with energy. Standing up as he puts his wine glass down, he approached and looked at the symbol in front of him.

"What is that symbol? I sense a malevolent power stirring within-"

"-it is the blessing given by my God," deftly he took a piece of stone, bigger than his fist and held it tight. The noble stood transfixed as his friend easily crushed the stone in one grip and pulverized those that did not manage to roll out of his fist.

"Wha- how?"

"Behold, the blessing of my God," his blackened hand which was actually due to the numerous runes and writings of an unknown language condensed together, he took another piece of stone and crushed it again using his hand.

"What sorcery is this?"

"Not sorcery, it can only be a blessing at best. I have to restrain myself not to destroy those I touch, but this is only a taste of what my God has granted me," he looked at Erythro through slit like eyes and gave a dangerous smile, "It was said to me that you cannot gain the same blessings, but it will depend on the trait you are weakest or strongest at. If and only if you would be able to earn their eternal favor."

Erythro stood up, indignation evident in his eyes, "This is insane Nigun, such blasphemy cannot be accepted in the Theocracy! They'll hang you, drawn and have you quartered! Be crucified even for Gods sake!"

"Worry not and fear not my foolish friend, there are others that have accepted such promises."

Almost giddily, Nigun beckoned him close as they walked outside of the living room. The house was silent and nothing stirred outside, he did not say anything as he was led in the direction of the cellars. They paused at an archway that will take them down as the noble heard hushed voices chanting from below, the loud cracks of whips could be heard intermingled with the cry of pain as he was led down. Deftly, he did not notice the diminutive maid who answered the door follow them from behind. The way down was dark and the shadows played tricks in the mind while the sounds distort and echo through the underground halls, but they persisted as they finally reached the basement or the cellars of the manor house if you will.

Erythro's eyes widened in disbelief, fear, and awe rolled into one.

What he saw was a scene of disturbing vision, it was as if almost more than a dozen people were gartthered in the cellar. He could recognize most of them, some of them represented and the heirs of the noble families, those that were 1st in line of their clan and who are much in danger of being usurped from their title by their siblings. People's faces were illuminated one by one as he looked on in shock and disgust, some of them the leaders of their peers, leaders of the local and Theocratical Judiciary, Military and Legislative branches, even two of the Head Scribes and Personal Assistants of the High Cardinals were present chanting and writhing in unseen ecstasy. The numerous candles that illuminated the place hid more people as they chanted heretical words over and over again in a center circle drawn with a symbol he had never seen before.

An 8 pointed star pulsed with power in the center of the circle as 8 other symbols were located on each of the hands of the star itself. The 8 symbols on the other hand each glowed a different color as they pulsed in unison with the star symbol. It was archaic and sinister looking, and it made the skin on Erythro's body crawl. Over and over they chanted the strange words as he saw that the same symbol was also scarred on Nigun's face.

 _"All power demands sacrifice and paiiinnnn... the War God rewards those willing to spill their life's blood for the promise of powerrr..."_

Pulsing energies danced from symbol to symbol as those nearest it danced and writhed in ecstasy. It was as if electricity was being passed through them, and they were actually enjoying it. There were exclamations of ecstasy, of pain, of pleasure, almost every outcry of emotion could be heard as they chanted and rubbed themselves against each other. Those who struck the ones that were bound with a whip derived great pleasure from the practice as they all began the chanting again. Erythro was left alone with the diminutive maid as Nigun, now bereft of his upper garments took a silver knife and walks to the center of the Mark. In the middle of the star, a silver bowl mounted atop a pile of bleached skulls waited as the former Captain of the Theocracy walks over to it and held his left arm over it.

Taking the silver knife, he ran it across his wrist and watched as the dark red blood dribbled to the silver bowl on the ground. Feeling no pain from the wound as the marks on his body shifted to the wound and began to heal him right away, Nigun began chanting his own words of supplication as he beseech the power that has blessed him.

 _"By this wound that bleeds open in all the dark places of the world, and the enemy wounds that never heals through it... I impart my blessed blood to you as a symbol of the pact and link that you will have to the true Gods."_

One by one those that joined the congregation crawled on the floor and began making their way to the silver bowl, their heads lolling and swaying side to side, their eyes deranged and livid. One by one they trooped to the bowl and one by one they dipped their heads into it and took a hearty draught. Their lips blood red as they licked the last of the empowered blood from their cheeks as they crawled away to recover. The young noble was horrified at the spectacle, but he stood rooted on the spot. A small voice right beside him made him looked down and saw the diminutive maid looking at him with unmoving eyes and steady lips.

"Will you not drink?" her lips curiously did not move, "Will you not pay the price? The price of power?"

Slowly he turned to the maid and asked, "And what is this price? What will I pay?"

Her smile unmoving and her purple eyes glowing from the power slowly suffusing her. A chill grated on his back as her voice changed from the small sweet one to a very grating tone, " **Ev** E **R** ryy **th** H **I** In **gGG...**..."

A great chill seized his body as the sound of her voice subtly promised innumerable pain and suffering if he chose poorly. His choice though was suddenly thrusts to him as felt someone move behind his back, he turned and saw Nigun Grid Luin standing and carrying an overturned skull with his pulsing blood inside. Pressured, confused and feeling a strong sense of preservation he took the skull turned cup and downed the contents within. The metallic taste of his friend's blood repulsed his nostrils and taste buds, but a powerful heat suddenly began to trickle down his throat as visions filled his mind with numerous horrific images.

The young priest writhed in shock and fear as even Nigun grew concerned and tried to calm his friend, "Erythro, my friend are you all right? Pull yourself together!"

" **I** s **H** h **E** **DE** addD **DD** d **D**?"

"Don't jump to conclusions," he looked at the battle maid and frowned, "And please change your voice, there's no need to persuade him further."

"As you wish," Entoma looked at the numerous writhing bodies on the floor as some already was able to stood up after experiencing a momentary bout of overwhelming pain, "It seems there are more survivors today."

"Probably because they were initially convinced, the previous batch were all skeptical to a certain degree," Nigun cradled his friend's head and looked down on him, "Plus, we were not sure if they would turn willingly. Perish the thought though since the initial batch were done since we would not know the results, turns out there must be a modicum of faith in the hearts of the heretics before they can survive."

"You survived?"

"That is because I believed in the Warmaster."

"Wise choice Heretic," Entoma walked over to a non-breathing human that was overcome with the pain and dragged him to the shadows, "I shall be cleaning the mess, you can take the survivors outside to clear their minds and for some 'proper' refreshments."

The former Captain nods in agreement as Erythro's eyes flew wide open and immediately grabbed Nigun's shoulders.

"What in the Six Heavens did I just see?"

Puzzled, Nigun smiled encouragingly and said, "What did you see my friend?"

"I-I- I saw myself, standing on top of a hill overlooking the border of the Beastmen Kingdom, from their borders red-hooded soldiers with numbers too innumerable to count march in the surrounding area as fire and light rained from the sky," Erythro grasped his head as he tried to remember all the details to the last letter, "I was... I was declaring from the top of my lungs as I watched large ships fly through the air- _'Heed me rabid beasts of the Beastmen Kingdom! The stars will tremble at our passage and the mighty armada of the Warmaster will bring annihilation to a hundred kingdoms. Your lands will be scorched and the life blood of the earth will pour forth from its breast. Your legacy will be wiped from this world as dust is brushed by a strong Southern Wind. Know this, for these things will come to pass.'_

Nigun stood him up and clapped his shoulders, "Welcome then my Brother, you are no longer the Priest of the Theocracy, but an Apostle for the Supreme Beings. A faithful Word Bearer that brings the word of the majesty and power of the Supreme Beings to the people, with your words you will scourge the masses into a frenzy as we drive them into religious fervor for the victory of the Supreme Beings."

"I am afraid, that we could be in the middle of something or someone purposely more powerful than us."

"It is indeed as you say," Nigun led the way forward as the other heretics headed outside of the room, "These beings of absolute power can only be Gods that move and use us as tools to their whims. Fear not though, we serve a power more powerful than the 6 Gods can ever hope to be."

"Such blasphemous words are dancing in your throat."

Nigun actually sniggered at that, "Your words fall flat Erythro, do you not feel the power that had suffused you awhile ago? This marks your changing of allegiance, if I were to blaspheme it would be to denounce my new God, which I would die first before doing so."

The young noble shook his head, "I wish to deny it, but I do feel the changes in my body. Changes like I have never felt before. A great surge of heat seemed to be coursing through me and I can't really explain it. It's baffling I tell you. "

"No need to feel confused, I was the same as you then, but then the Gods began to fulfill their promises," Nigun snapped his fingers with a loud crack, "And just like that they have blessed me beyond what I was capable of in the Theocracy. I believe that if I served this higher power, then all the frailties of humanity that I have can be washed away."

"I feel fearful my friend."

"To feel fear for our Gods is redundant, to serve them is the only course you can do."

Erythro sighed, "I guess."

Unbeknownst to him, a pair of dull glowing purplish eyes stood in the shadows watching him. The diminutive maid with the grinding voice stood silent as a man's severed arm was held tightly on her hands. The end of the hand was pointed on her chin and there was a soft squishy and chewing sound as the arm grew noticeably shorter and shorter. As Nigun and Erythro rounded a bend and finally out of sight of the terrifying maid, she sighed contently as she finished the rest of the hand with a few well-placed bites.

"Mmm, muscular- my favorite."

And the shadows welcomed her again.

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 **To be continued... Omake Theater: World Item!?**

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"Holy Mother of God... what the fuck are they doing!?"

Sammael rubbed his temples as the video recording of what Nigun was doing to propagate the power of Ainz Ooal Gown and to recruit people to his heretical cause was shown in front of them in HD. Ainz also looked passive as they saw him parading himself around his cellar while doing the ceremonial dagger cut to his wrist. What disturbed him was the power that he bestowed Nigun is now blessing other people, not only that, the experiment he had risked with this human Captain is proving to be beneficial, but quite troublesome to watch.

He actually cringed as they saw the congregation crawl down on their knees and drink from the silver bowl.

They also took note that they writhed in pain after drinking from the bowl and promptly pass out, but after taking a few minutes to recover they seemed to be emanating different auras that they could feel and see it. Additionally, those people that did not have any potential to use magic, suddenly have dancing auras around them, like their constitution has changed just from ingesting his blood. Hopefully, nothing bad would come out of it, they didn't want to deal with no Resident Evil and shit right here anyway.

"Well, I suppose I should be horrified by what I saw, but I guess this shows results of your experiment."

"Indeed Ainz-kun," the Fallen sighed and again rubbed his temples, "I did not expect him to make a cult out of me though. This might destabilize the Theocracy faster, but this is something that I cannot predict what will happen next, if he is not careful then our fears that these Cardinals might run and hide with the World Items could come into fruitition."

Sammael shook his head in disbelief as Aizn looked at him, "You know my friend, I once had experience with religious zealots, they were the most motivated, most active, and most fearless enemies that you could face."

"You fought religious zealots before?"

"I did mention I was sent to Somalia, it was a cover for our attack on the Arabian Peninsula."

"You mean the famed 'Battle of the Black Coast' and the failed seizing of the Suez Canal by Golden Asian Sphere?"

"That's the one," Sammael shook his head and took a drink of ale, "I suppose I should sort them out, this might lead to more misunderstanding later."

"Why don't you see what his plans are for now? Make it clear of your views? We owe it to them at least."

"You are right," the Fallen sighed again and stood up, "I have already established contacts in high places at the Empire and I am planning to seek out the Elven Kingdom or at least remnants of it."

"Is it for the sake of the guild? Or the twins?"

"W-w well, mainly for the guild, but also for the twins I suppose."

 _'You buggering liar,'_ The Lich sighed as well, "Do as you fit my friend, I do trust you in every move you make. By the way, I have secured a pharmacist and made him move his operations to Carne Village in order to have more room for experimentation. Additionally, I do hope he and Enri Emmott would get together and have a family, the girl is indebted to me and would not leave the village. As long as we have her, then we have him."

"What about the Warrior-Captain?"

"Gazef you mean?" Ainz rubbed his bony chin in thought, "While I do love to have him as part of our little collection, I have not found any way yet to have him indebted to us. Though, I have found a way to integrate another race to our collective, the Lizardmen has caught up my attention and I would delegate Cocytus to handle that affair."

"It seems you are sending more of the Guardians out into the open? If we are hard-pressed we may need to wake up more of my soldiers, though I loath to awaken the other 4."

"Why are you so hesitant to wake the other 4 anyway?"

Sammael slumped in his chair and puts his elbows on the table, "Very well, let me tell you why. I have made the Angels as a part of me when I fight one on one. In Yggdrasil I can only summon 2 at a time and 5 if I have full vestments and using my full Empyrean Commander skills. Though most of them can use only tier 9 spells, the first 2 can use tier 10 spells without assistance. Ramiel and Zeruel were my top Angels, none can best the other in a struggle for Supremacy. Though they are designed as such, all the Angels can channel 10th tier spells as long as I invoke my Empyrean Commander skill and used a spell to allow them to do so."

"However, all four of them were recklessly made, most especially Zeruel. Additionally, I never wanted to mention this, but apart from me, Touch Me and Takemikazuchi, none was even able to best Zeruel in a duel."

Ainz took a scroll and unfurled it, "Umu, basically, you made a glass cannon character?"

"No, no, not that kind of character at all, a heavily armed tanker and killer. I am just not sure of their personalities since I did not pay much attention to it, in truth I would not mind if you wake the other 2, but not Zeruel."

"Are you suggesting he is more powerful than Albedo and her sisters?"

"3 vs 1? Hmm, it would be along battle for the win. But, a battle of one on one, he'd floor all 3 sisters to the ground."

The Lich took a sip from his tea and sighed, "Stronger than Rubedo huh? Most unfortunate then."

"Indeed-"

A loud knock on the heavy doors got their attention as Ainz gave his nod and Sammael called out, "Come in."

At once the double door swung fully open and it revealed the armored figure of Ramiel, he walked inside with his head held high and bowed slowly to the Supreme Beings.

"My Lords, I have no wish to disturb you, but this is a matter of utmost importance."

"Raise your head and speak."

"Yes," Ramiel raised his head and said, "My Lords, we have found a World Item."

"Excellent, what kind?"

"A multiple use item, not one of the 20 for sure."

"Location?"

"The Archmagos of the Navigators say the group is near the western borders of the Fortress City E-Rantel and the Theocracy, it is currently travelling with a full party of people. It is not clear how many are currently hidden, but scrying by our Magos and Techpriests suggest that the members of the party exceeds the power of the 6 Battle Maids."

Sammael suddenly stood up and began to head outside, Ainz also stood up and quickly followed him with Ramiel bringing up the rear. They weaved their way through the maze of passageways as they finally reached the bridge of the Sky Barge. All around numerous Magos and Archmagos stood up and bowed in their direction before sitting back down to their stations and resuming work.

"Archmagos of the Navigators, I require to know what you have gazed upon."

A maroon-robed magos with a single eyes in his forehead stepped forth and bowed, "Oh exalted being, we found traces of this World Item weeks ago, but have only pinpointed the location due to a disturbance nearby. Reports and scans show Lady Shalltear is engaging a small den of thieves near the area approximately 2 miles to the south. It is clearly shown she has slaughtered much of the denizens and the disturbance has caught the attention of a person that belongs in the group we have mentioned. Likely, they are preparing the World Item for use, as defense or offense against Lady Shalltear we do not know."

Sammael turned to Ainz as he watched his friend sit on the Crimson Throne, a menagerie of weapons he had taken from his defeated enemies and fashioned a chair out of it. Their eyes met as the Lich nods once, the Fallen stood up straighter, he looked forward and said clearly.

"Battle stations."

Red light exploded everywhere as loud gears seemed to turn all around the ship, from inside the large cathedral the floor moved and began to rise up until the large circular glass window where it depicted a 15th century stained glass work of art suddenly turned translucent and they could suddenly see the whole upper deck of the _'Stellarum Nex'_ change from the scenery of the Garden of Versailles into a venerable battleship with 2 triple mounted 46 inch guns. The other smaller autocannons that were located mid-ship shifted to the sides as the green and lush trees were retracted below deck. Trapdoors opened below and the lush garden was swallowed beneath as cannons began setting up on the now vacated deck.

"High Explosive 1,400 kg shells loaded on all forward guns Warmaster, tracers loaded on the 5 shot for the 40mm auto-cannons."

"Acknowledged, alert all my Generals, I will be moving forth. With your permission of course Guild Master."

The Overlord bowed sagely, "You may do so my friend."

"Attention all combat personnel of the _'Stellarum Nex',_ we would be engaging an enemy with a World Item. I will be moving forth, I expect each and everyone to perform up to par with whoever is in command."

Sammael let his words sink in as he declared, "General Ramiel has the helm."

A red-robed Magos broadcasted through the ship, "General Ramiel has the helm."

As he stepped back from the bridge he heard a link reach his mind, _'Yes Momonga-san?'_

 _'Be careful my friend, don't want you getting hurt or something.'_

 _'Understood, I'm off then Momonga, pray they do not have any kind of Mind-Control World Item or something.'_

As the Supreme Being teleported away, Momonga or Ainz raised his left hand and made a regal gesture. "Go forth and support our Warmaster."

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 **Author's Note:**

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I forgot to acknowledge Pervy Sage Chuck for the idea about Nigun and one of our most twisted maid Entoma. I'm pretty sure he's churning much more racy scenes in his mind.

MOAR REVIEWS! MOAR UPDATES!

 _._

Cheers,

Scarabeye3000


	8. The Black Scripture

Disclaimer: Not mine, nor yours. Bugger then.

 **Title: Heaven or Hell**

Chapter 8 - The Black Scripture

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Outskirts of E-Rantel

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Shalltear Bloodfallen, one of Nazarick's most powerful NPCs strode confidently towards the bandit's hideout. A single thought ran through her head, the order to capture exceptional or skilled individuals that might be 'converted' to the cause of the betterment of the Great Tomb. Singlehandedly obliterating a group of bandits, she made a lesser vampire out of one of her victims and made it lead her and her vampire brides to their hideout. She was clearing the lair out and managed to encounter their most skilled fighter and made a fool out of him, but due to his guile and an extraordinary amount of luck he managed to evade her. This single act almost made her lose her mind in anger, and she almost did as she butchered everyone inside the bandit lair, but she took great care not to lose herself with her bloodlust. But the skilled blue haired fighter that managed to evade her lingered in her mind and almost drove her to the brink of insanity.

Carefully reciting and remembering the words of the Supreme Beings, she bit down her bloodlust and pursued the enemy calmly through their own lair.

"I must remember to calm down," she caught a whiff of the blue haired swordsman's scent and headed for it. The tunnel he entered was laced with other scents and she managed to differentiate the difference in skill by judging the scent of the inter-mixed blood.

She came upon numerous tunnels and her brow creased, a solution came into her mind as she lifted her hand and casted, "[ **Raise Kin** ]"

From the blood orb hovering over her head, 4 blood wolves and 4 blood ravens materialized in front of her, the creatures snarled and cawed as they spun into form. Sounds that seemed out of place for creatures made out of entirely of blood emanated from them as finally their black ovoid eyes looked docilely at their mistress. As one they all bowed as Shalltear approached and showed her fangs at them.

"My children, a blue haired man has managed to escape me, he has shown promise in as far as having human skills. I want him found and brought before me this instant."

The creatures of blood upon receiving their orders charged with inhuman speed through the tunnels as they began to scour the area for the man, the True Vampire walked slowly and steadily through the lair, silently following her scouts that had began to slaughter any opposition they met. Passing a few mutilated corpses near the cave's entrance she walked outside and saw her familiars engaging a fairly large party. The party was slowly being overwhelmed as she appeared behind them in a blink of an eye and waved her hands as if in dance. Her soft simpering laugh mocked the humans as she dismembered the rear line of the human party, her eyes traced each and every one of them and tried to look for any semblance of a skill or martial art that the Supreme Beings has shown their interest in.

Her eyes settled on a ginger haired woman with freckles on her face and made a beeline towards her, the other male fighters tried to hold her off. But the undead warrior cannot be undone, her alabaster skin was as hard as adamantium and her long nails were sharper than mithril swords. As she butchered her way to the female warrior panic seemed to gnaw on the young human as she saw the cute inhuman figure in the middle of a whirlwind of destruction making a beeline towards her.

Feeling lost and hopeless she took out an object that she was not aware could save her life.

As the last of the other warriors fell and their blood joining those of the blood orb, Shalltear's eyes widened as she saw the potion in Brita's hand. It was one of Nazarick's level 2 potion, it was a fairly common item, but it should not be outside of the Great Tomb. Unless...

"Look into my eyes foolish woman," Shalltear's eyes glowed a pale violet hue as she suffused her will to the weaker human, "Who gave you this potion? Answer me quickly!"

The woman's eyes glazed over as she gave a small smile and said, "A black armored warrior in E-Rantel gave me that potion. He had a beautiful raven haired girl with him and a white robed monk with white hair."

The vampire puts a finger on her lips as she contemplated what she heard, if the Master granted this woman a potion then she could be part of the Overlord's grand plan for this world. She could have inadvertantly hampered his own efforts, which could be detrimental fof his plans. She took deep calming breathes and tried to analyze the situation, Narberal said that they were using humans to spread his fame and prestige through the lands, perhaps this is one of their humans that they were using. Deciding what is best Shalltear turned to the woman again and asked, "What were you doing in these parts?"

"A bandit problem has arisen and we were called in to deal with it-"

"-and how many parties were called upon? Also, how many were you in your party?"

"Our party was the single group that was commisioned to come here, aside from me and the rogue who hung a bit far back, you already killed everyone on the party."

Her statement put a halt on Shalltear, so aside from the blue haired man that escaped her, there was another one that could possibly have known of her. Her pupils dilated as a deep tremor coursed through her body. If these humans escape, then the master would be angry and she would be blamed for it. No! She would not settle for this, absorbing the blood of the recently slain she began casting her spell as she sent Brita into a deep sleep.

The orb of blood or [ **Blood Pool** ] that hovered near her head dissipated as a circle of power appeared below her feet, her eyes shone vermillion as she casted, "[ **Summon Household** ]."

More blood wolves and ravens appeared that joined the other 4 previously summoned, they all barked, yipped and cawed as they shook the excess blood from their red fur. Shalltear showed her fangs again and said, "Find the rogue, find all the men that evaded me. Quickly before the moon sets above the night sky."

The wolves spread out over the surrounding area as the ravens shot up into the sky, their summoner stood on the precipice of the road and waited. Not long after she assumed her vigil, she felt 2 of her wolves suddenly die, their links to her mind ceased with such speed it only gave her a glimpse of their enemy.

Her eyes turned reptilian and her tongue rolled out of her open mouth, a dark red miasma suddenly enveloped her as her previous cute face was torn into a horrific mask of inhuman proportion. The bloodlust oozing from her body was suffocating and her red robes suddenly turned torn and ancient, her cute voice turned shrill as Shalltear unleashed her fury.

"How daaarrr **eee youuuu!?** " she screamed into the night sky as she charged through the trees and made a beeline where her familiars were slain, " **I'LL SUCK YOU ALL DRY!** "

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A man with an androgynous face and black hair walked ahead of a 13 people party while a woman with long braided blue hair followed him closely. They were part of the most elite of the Scriptures that the Theocracy has at their disposal, the Black Scripture. All of its members boasts on being the best and most skilled in their field of expertise. Armed with exotic weaponry that gives boost at their strengths, they stood at the pinnacle of the most powerful of human warriors and none can deny that. Usually acting in groups of 2 or more, it is rare to assemble all of them, and even rarer for some threat to survive that would face against the arrayed manpower before it. Their superior skills, wargear and their belief with the Gods is what they are armed as they now marched, assembled as one to confront and deal with the Catastrophe Dragon Lord.

Having a Dragon Lord as an opponent was no easy task. They are the last of the denizens of the New World that have fought with the God-like players and they have suffered the most, it was recorded that the 6 Great Gods fought with the ancient Dragon Lords and some of those that survived scattered and started their own cities. They are a hardy race, as evident by their continued survival even after the concerted efforts of the 8 Greed Kings to exterminate them.

As such, the Dragon Lords and their kin had diminished greatly in numbers, those few that survived lay in wait as they gather their numbers and fortify their position. They once sat on the top and exterminated humans and made them as fodder and cattle, but they are a dying breed and the Theocracy has deemed them worthy to be servants of humanity.

Their current target, the Catastrophe Dragon Lord that perished during the time of the 8 Greed Kings.

Because of the power and ability of the Thousand League Astrologer, the Theocracy had predicted its impending resurrection and had prepared against such an occurrence.

They traveled through the night and in a clandestine manner as they do this for the sake of humanity and its continued reign and superiority. The Captain scanned the trees as they marched past in single file a well-known hot spot for bandit activity. He was quite curios to note on why the Re-Estize Kingdom would allow such trespass to happen near their borders, and their apparent inaction in the face of this crisis. Frankly speaking, he wondered if the Kingdom can actually defend its borders considering one of its Fortress City is nearby. Perhaps its annual war with the Baharuth Empire had begun to hurt its economy and in the process, its military. Regardless of the reason, he led them quickly forward as they made great progress towards their destination. Their heavy footfalls were masked by their skills and magic when suddenly the Thousand League Astrologer grabbed him in the shoulders and pulled him back.

"Wait!" she hissed silently.

Alerted and immediately on guard, he stepped back and whispered , "What is it? What do you see?"

The whole party stopped moving as the Astrologer seemed to have momentary glaze over her eyes as she focused on an adjacent hill, pointing to where she was looking at she said in a soft voice, "A very powerful being is over that ridge. A being filled with blood lust, rage, anger and hate. I have never gazed at anything like it. Such overpowering... thirst and hunger."

Their smallest companion by height pulled back its hood and revealed a diminutive old woman, she walked up to the Astrologer and asked, "What is the skill and magic level?"

"I am quite certain about this," the Astrologer licked her lips as she gazed again at the sky above the place where she pointed at, "The power of this being exceeds those of a Dragon Lord. It is at par with the Catastrophe Dragon Lord even more and it makes me... afraid."

"Then, our course is clear, we will subdue this one first and use it as a vanguard before going after the Catastrophe Dragon Lord."

The Captain nodded in understanding, "As you wish Lady Kaire however, will we have enough power to subdue the Dragon Lord?"

Kaire nodded, her wrinkled eyes showed her age and the steel within them, "Trust me Captain, this is not my first time being in this situation."

"I understand Lady Kaire," he then turned to a man with soft blonde hair, numerous bottles and pockets lined his coat, "What is it?"

"I smell blood, and its getting stronger."

From the edge of the tree clearing 2 red lupine figures charged towards them as another member of the 13 member party stepped forward and revealed his weapon. He took out a blue and white steel lance that is broader and longer than any human and seemed too heavy for one to bear, but miraculously the young man easily waved it around like it was part of his own body. His long blond hair and narrow grey eyes focused on the charging enemy and aimed his weapon at them, he felt his power suffuse his body and activated his martial art.

"Activating Martial Arts: **Phantom Lancer**!"

The blood wolves charged through the plains with ease, their speed was such there was not enough time for a normal human to react and defend yourself. In a matter of seconds, they were upon the Scripture member, but his movement belied his weapon's size. He moved his lance forward with such speed it created afterimage of his movement, the wolves were stabbed in quick succession, the power that bound them to this world severed as their life force was snuffed in a second. Their bodies exploding in a bloodless gore, like dissipating mist in the early morning sun.

As the essence of their enemy scattered, the Captain gave a satisfied nod and turned to the others, "Well done _Lancer_ that was a well executed kill. Everyone get ready, the fact that the enemy has found us means they are not hiding themselves. In fact, since we killed their scout, it seems the enemy might go after us."

"It's coming-" the _Astrologer_ chimed in as they all prepared for the enemy, "-400 meters and counting. The blood lust is truly overwhelming... all I see is blood. I have never seen anything like it. I am afraid."

"With all this feed back about blood, could it perhaps be a vampire?" one hooded member asked.

The Astrologer shook her head, "A vampire could not hope to reach this level of power," she shivered as she focused on the approaching catastrophe, "I believe we could classify this as a Vampiric Dragon Lord."

A blonde haired man that looked like Clementine approached as he rubbed his upper arms in nervousness, "Whatever it is, its coming in fast... faster than any creature I have fought before. The Astrologer is right, I can smell the stench of spilled blood raging forth to us."

"Is that fear I hear Quintia?" a large burly man with a large axe on his back stepped beside him.

"Not fear my friendly neighborhood barbarian," the 'One-Man Army' or the 5th Seat of the Scripture replied, "A deep feeling of uncertainty creeps in my mind."

"200 meters!" they finally felt it all, a deep seated fear gripped them all as a large beast seemed to be thrashing through the forest just beyond the tree line. Whatever it was, as soon as it passed the cover of the forest they would be able to see this monstrosity that's barreling towards them.

"100 meters from the tree line, 50 meters it-" the Astrologer suddenly gasped and her eyes blinked in surprise, "It stopped. It stopped?"

Bewildered, those nearest turned to her and asked, "What happened?"

"It just stopped," the Astrologer replied, confused and stunned at the same time, "It's trying to mask itself now, its powers are subsiding."

"Could it be that it is preparing an attack?"

The Captain banged the end of his spear to the ground and said, "Lady Kaire our enemy is beyond the tree line, Cedran and Beaumarchais defend her with your life. Tenge, Barbaro, behind me- if the enemy charges we will meet it head on."

Lady Kaire, the small old woman began suffusing herself with magic as her own magical dress began to glow with power. A large burly man with 2 shields, one larger than the other and another warrior that's holding a chain weapon stood in front of her in defense, the Captain stood in the middle with the large barbarian warrior behind him carrying his large axe on his shoulder and another monk-class warrior with numerous bandages on his hands and feet stood at the ready.

All of them dare not speak, but their eyes burned with purpose and inhuman focus.

Little did they know that an even bigger problem was currently hurtling down towards them. A catastrophe of god-like proportions was coming.

.

.

Stellarum Nex

.

 _'I am definitely not in favor of your course of action.'_

 _'Is that worry I hear?'_

 _'Yes, as your Guild Master I am inclined for you to go and get this World Item, as your friend I am extremely worried that you might be destroyed by this item's effect.'_

 _'I can resist this because I have my own World Item Ainz-kun, and you can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs.'_

 _'So? You dare compare yourself to an egg?'_

 _'Ok, so that was a very bad metaphor, but still, surely you can see the benefits of this endeavor Ainz-kun!'_

 _'Of course I do, every World Item secured in our vaults is another obstacle removed from our safety.'_

 _'... and every time we increase our safety, increases our chance of survival.'_

 _'Indeed you are correct, but that does not mean I would have to like whatever the hell we are doing.'_

 _'I understand you Ainz-kun, still I must prepare for the battle ahead. A 13 man party is no easy feat.'_

 _'Pfft! Any preparations that we do might be overkill, all the scrying magic in this world could not even penetrate the static defenses of Nazarick.'_

 _'Yes, be that as it may remember as 'Punitto Moe-kun' once said, a well executed offense is a good defense.'_

 _'-that was Takemikazuchi.'_

 _'Pssh! Small things Ainz-kun.'_

 _'Just be careful, I would rather test Resurrection Magic to an NPC instead of you.'_

 _'Yes, yes, I'll keep that in mind mother.'_

 _'Hah! And here I thought you were my mother.'_

Sammael huffed as he severed the magical connection with his friend, he knew the dangers of carelessness all too well. Back in Yggdrasil, everything was a game and everything was temporary and replaceable. But in this New World, where his own life is at stake, he would rather go in with his guns blazing rather than be caught with his pants down and his hand in the cookie jar.

Ok, another bad metaphor.

But still, the thought counts that he must prepare. His divine armor that rivals that of Takemikazuchi's own samurai armor with numerous that offered protection and additional empowerments, his nagamaki securely strapped behind him he walked through the darkened corridors of the Battle barge towards the lower deck. It is comforting to know that even in this world, their main purpose of creating this ship remains. To hunt down the World Items, retrieve it and keep it safe from those that might use it against the guild. He had thought about this, when other players would be transported here to this world, they would need all the power they could muster to secure their survival. You will never know what or who will be coming, as such they would need to prepare. Their guild base was brought here, but what if another guild base were also brought here? What if a guild base is already here?

These uncertainties roll through his mind as he reached the lower deck and found 2 legions of Skitarii formed smartly face to face. Armed with an assortment of swords, spears, automatic bows and magical rifles. They were led by 2 of his Angels currently present on the Stellarum Nex, Leliel in his black and white plate armor and carrying his war scythe oozing with miasma and Zadkiel carrying his Rod of Arafel that could cleanse all manner of evil. With Azrael on reserve and Ramiel as overall commander, they got their bases covered in case something surprising would arrive their way. Baraqiel was currently manning the store on the Baharuth Empire to keep up the appearance on normalcy with everyone else. As he crossed the middle of the assembled armies, one by one the Skitarii legionnaires that he passed raised their weapons to him in greeting.

A menagerie of _'Warmaster' , 'Hail my Lord' ,_ and _'Lord Sammael'_ rang through the ranks as the legionnaires called out to him one by one as he passed.

Reaching the end of the lines, he faced his two Generals and the two officials banged their breast plates. "Hail Warmaster, our legions are ready at your command."

"Very good. I will be heading out alone for now, just in case we need an army, it is better to be prepared."

"I understand my Lord," Leliel nods his head and shoulders his weapon, "We shall drop as soon as you need aid."

Sammael gave a small chuckle and sighed, "Although I do not expect to be overwhelmed, it is better to be prepared. Though it won't be beyond me to enjoy a good fight, I will try to restrain myself if I do see them suffering too much."

"We will perform as you expect of us my Lord, we wish you good hunting."

The Fallen Angel gave a stiff nod and headed towards the side of the ship, looking down on the ground, he could see E-Rantel in the distance. The exterior walls of Carne Village was hidden by the Forest of Tob and totally unseen from where they were, but they were directly above the hill where Shalltear is currently slaughtering the bandits. They positioned the ship as they tracked the location of the World Item that had appeared in their sensors.

 _'My Lord please be advised,'_ Ramiel's voice rang through his mind, _'Lady Shalltear has lost her mind as her scouts were killed by the party holding the World Item. It appears she is not aware of the danger and is currently hurtling herself towards them. Current distance is 400 meters and closing-'_

 _'Roger that, I shall try to reach her. Keep me posted.'_

 _'Affirmative.'_

Sammael walked on the side of the ship and stepped off the platform. Hurtling downwards to the ground, he could see that the earth was quickly growing large towards him, but no one can see them their combat operational height of 30,000 feet and hidden by numerous magic. They are practically invisible to the naked eye, higher than the clouds and the altitude is perfect for their combat drops. With their racial hardiness, they require far less resources than humans would ever need. So, in case someone did infiltrate the Battle barge, they would be asphyxiated by the loss of oxygen.

 _'My Lord, she is 300 meters from the target- there is a surge of power coming from the World Item, they are poised to use it-'_

The Fallen Angel spreads his flaming wings and hurtled to the ground faster, reaching with his magic to Shalltear he tried to establish a link with her.

 _'-200 meters my Lord!'_

 _'SHALLTEAR!'_ her clouded and blood hazed mind reached his own, _'YOU ARE ORDERED TO STOP!'_

.

The blood haze clouding Shalltear's vision cleared immediately as the Supreme Being's voice cuts through it cleanly. She could feel it now, the force of the Supreme Being was approaching her and she began turning back to the cute girl image she projected.

 _'My lord Sammael- I feel your presence.'_

 _'Stand down Shalltear! You are forbidden to attack, instead you will be my vanguard. The enemy you are hurtling yourself to with reckless abandon is armed with a World Item and you would do well to hold back.'_

 _'-a World Item? Even more, I should be the one to draw their fire, your safety is of the utmost importance.'_

 _'I understand your words, but I wish to do this alone. You are not to interfere unless commanded to, we need the item intact and you could inadvertently damage it.'_

This left a lingering twinge in her undead heart, but it quickly cleared with the honeyed words from the Supreme Being.

 _'Additionally, Lord Ainz and me would be deeply stressed and angered if even one hair from our friend's legacy, which is you and your colleagues will be harmed.'_

She could not help but smile at those words, _'Understood my Lord, I will be on standby and wait for your word.'_

.

"What's the word Astrologer?"

"Nothing new yet Captain, I sense the enemy powering down and its blood lust has subsided, I fear that-"

The Captain of the Black Scripture paused, he turned to their Astrologer and found her staring into the sky, her lips were trembling and her body seemed to quake from head to toe. He turned to their cleric codenamed _'Divine Chanter'_ and she quickly ran over to where their Astrologer seemed to be having a seizure.

A light green light was casts over her, but her trembling intensified even though the healing spell had already suffused her body.

Their cleric looked hopeless at her comrade, they have never seen her in this state before. Mind you, the prowess of the Astrologer's scrying ability is peerless, combined with the exotic items they were using, it was unthinkable to know what made her degenerate into this state.

"Pull yourself together Astrologer," the Divine Chanter grasped her friend's shoulder and shook her to return her to her senses, "What do you see? Tell me!"

Her eyes cleared suddenly as the Captain also grew concerned, the rest felt something sweep over them as the voice of the blue-haired girl reached their ears, "A being more powerful than the Vampiric Dragon Lord is coming... it's presence... so bright, so hot, so horrifyingly p-powerful."

"Where is it coming from?" the Captain tried to look around as the others began circling and looking for anything out of the ordinary, their senses heightened and magic thrumming with power, _'Damn it, we have the Vampiric Dragon Lord_ _lurking somewhere near the tree line and then this, what is with this fuck up!'_

All eyes turned to her as the Astrologer slowly raised her right hand and pointed at the sky, their eyes trained upwards and they saw a falling star hurtling toward them. The burning star burned through the sky like a lance of fire from the heavens. Some members of the Scripture audibly gulped as they saw and felt the presence of a Supreme Being approaching, the air felt electric and the heat from the falling star was beginning to light the surrounding area. A blanket of flame shrouded Sammael as he aimed for a spot that is in between the tree line where Shalltear hid and the exposed members of the Black Scripture.

The roaring passing of a heavenly body reached terminal velocity as they all heard and felt the sonic boom as the meteor like object passed them. The earth shook violently as the falling star crashed near them, only 100 meters away from where they all stood. Tremors ran through the ground as everyone felt it as far back as the bandit lair that was cleared a while ago.

As soon as the object struck the ground, the Astrologer screamed in fear and terror, "We must run away! We cannot win!"

"Get a grip Astrologer, pull yourself together-"

"Look!" Beaumarchais pointed to a figure that seemed to materialized out of the burning crater as they all looked as one at the spectacle before them.

The Astrologer though closed her eyes mightily and wailed about, she swayed her head as she tried to cover her face with her blue locks and desperately tried to hide herself. Even if she did close her eyes, the Being currently standing before them almost blinded her. 10th Tier Magic, that was the information screaming at her senses, her companions do not know the capability of the being before them, the magic that belongs to the Gods has appeared before them.

The other members could not fathom the destructive power that stood in front of them nor have the capacity to understand it. Due to the possible distance, she could see snippets or flashes of images of the fate that will befall them should they managed to anger such an individual. His proximity to her seemed to be the reason, she could see it much clearly now, all the lands ablaze in fire, the blood of the earth pouring forth, mountains crumbling and collapsing. A terrifying creature that overshadowed everything else in her memory and thoughts, a beacon of power that would threaten to consume her being. Whatever happens today, she must survive.

A shadowy figure moved in the middle of the crash site and they could see that it turned towards their direction and some members can't help the shiver that coursed through their bodies. It began walking towards them with heavy footfalls and the sound of clinking chains. The being was shrouded by smoke and fire, until finally it cleared itself from the crater and they finally saw the creature that stood before them.

The Fallen stood a tall 256 cm in his full Angel form, the Scripture members except for the Captain actually took a step back as they saw his unobstructed form. A muscled sculpted body that stood 8'5 inches, artificer armor that encompassed only half a breastplate and the left 'pauldron' is designed as a horned devil's head, clawed gauntlets with built-in knuckle dusters can be seen while runes carved in every inch and in every nook and cranny of his vestments. A maroon ' _pteruges'_ or warrior's skirt hung on his waist that touched the ground and was emblazoned with an 8 pointed star as chains and skulls dangled on his waist. Power was oozing out of his body as numerous scars can be seen being highlighted by the power suffusing his body. A horned mask covered his face as a loud breathing sound, like he was breathing and wheezing through a filter, emanated from him. Inverted individually feathered wings flapped affably behind his back as he continued his march towards them, his Being emanated a warm radiant aura and the image of a very pissed off deity

Without batting an eyelash the Captain turned to the slumped Astrologer and whispered, "Astrologer, is he the being you are speaking of?"

"Without a doubt," she was covering her eyes comically, like she was using her hands as a barrier due to his radiance, "Whatever you do, we are all going to die."

"Do not despair, I am ready!" Lady Kaire said over the din of their pounding hearts, "Hold him back."

"I do not know who summoned you Angel, but you will not keep us from our quarry," the Captain exclaimed, his voice forceful and firm, "Attack formation!"

Without telling them twice the large barbarian man, the 10th seat called the 'Strongest Man' heaved his great axe high and brought it down to the Angel. Activating his martial art, Barbaro shouted, "Martial Arts: [ **Explosive Blade** ]"

A great explosion tore through the landscape as the man jumped back after the hit, he could feel something hard strike his blade and then the blast wave forced him to take a step back. The Scripture members all stared as the smoke and debris from the martial art settled down, they all were taken aback as the being stood before them. Unmoved and not a single scratch on its armor, even the ground where he stood was undisturbed while those where the humans stood was singed and scorched from the skill that was activated.

Suddenly, the Angel vanished from their sight and appeared in front of Barbaro, his vision went sideways as an almighty hit struck his weapon and he was thrown towards the tree line. The Captain looked at the Angel and he looked to have simply swatted one of his most powerful melee fighters like a fly.

" **You dare raise your hands against me?** "

"Cedran, step back!" Lady Kaire willed the magical item she wore to cast its deadly magic, a shining golden dragon slithered away from the dress and flew towards the Fallen. Sammael was engulfed by a beam of light as the dragon coiled around him and began to take over his mind.

"We have him, the spell is a success!"

" **I see now, the Downfall of Castle and Country... it conquers the mind of anyone, even with absolute mental defenses.** "

The old lady visibly paled as everyone was shocked at the mention of their trump card's name, how could this angel know this information. They looked dumbfounded as the Angel shook off the shining dragon that coiled around him and it exploded into thousands of tiny golden lights.

"Captain, I will try to cast the spell again, keep him-" Lady Kaire ducked for cover as the Angel swung his fist and the force of the air pressure carved a fissure and threw other members of the Scripture away. With this action the Captain exploded into offense and activated his martial arts, the melee fighter named 'Tenjho Tenge' right behind him.

"[ **Piercing Thrust** ]"

"[ **Makaze Kick** ]"

A blue phantasmal spear tip with a circumference of 6 feet appeared at the Captain's spear tip and headed for Sammael, while the monk did a somersault kick and the force of his martial art cleaved a great crack and also headed for the Angel. The blow crashed together and a mighty explosion erupted where the two blows hit, as the debris was thrown up the Captain turned to everyone and ordered, "Running retreat! Protect Lady Kaire!"

The Angel suddenly appeared behind him, its right fist held back as it swung a heavy blow towards the Captain. The leader of the Scripture turned with all his might and managed to block the blow with his spear. He felt a powerful blow almost break his spear as the force threw him away almost 30 meters into the grass. The monk who stood beside him spun in mid-air and aimed a kick at the Angel's face, but it simply turned its head, ducked its body and smacked Tenjou Tenge with one of his wings spinning him in mid-air and concussing him.

From a far a loud war cry emanated as the barbarian finally recovered, casting his Martial Skill, his skin turned red as he screamed, "For humanity! [ **Berserker Fury** ]"

Leaping to the heavens, he raised his great axe which glowed with and aimed the blade in a downward slice towards the Angel. The force of it was enough to break a fortified wall in two, but as the blade reached the Fallen Angel, he saw their enemy grabbed the large blade and said, " **Hmm, you irritate me** [ **Dis Caelesti** ]"

Again the barbarian was hurled towards the line of trees, as if an invisible hand threw him away like a rag-doll. As he was flung away, the old lady and her group had already recovered. They were not aware, but the gaze of the Fallen Angel had turned to them.

Sammael was envelopped in a charged cloud as he said, " **Cast magic buff** [ **Fulgur Ferrum** ]" his clawed gauntlets was suffused with lightning as he vanished in a blink of an eye.

"Lady Kaire! Continue the casting, we would handle the enemy and delay-" the large burly man with the two shield stopped cold as he felt something blunt collide with his left shield and felt something warm gush to his hips and legs. The other members of the Scripture looked in horror as the Angel moved so fast and approached the twin-shielder and swiped its left hand forward.

 **"[Fulgur Impetum** ]"

The path of the Angel's clawed gauntlet passed through the sturdy looking shield, through his left abdomen and past the other way. Looking down in shock and horror, a cold chill passed through him as he saw the lower half of his shield cleanly torn away while his left abdomen was gushing blood and guts. A large gaping hole the size of the armored gauntlet that collided with him hovered nearby as the Angel continued its advance.

Before the man slumped to the ground, the other members sprung into action. The Captain activated his skill and thrusts his spear that can split the ground in half towards the rogue Angel. He aimed for the unarmored portion of his right shoulder, but as soon as contact was made. Sparks flew and lightning spilled forth as the melee skill was deflected mercilessly by the Empyrean. The Angel spun around and smacked the Captain with his inverted golden wings, managing to block and dampen the blow, he was sent flying by the hit and he landed 20 feet were he once stood. The Angel did not stop though as it laughed maniacally.

" **Muhahaha! Taste death!** [ **De Choro Fulgur** ]"

The lightning spell was aimed upwards, but instead of harmlessly going into the sky, it separated into innumerable bolts and arched downward to the ground as it chased after and exploded on the general vicinity of his enemies. The Theocracy members dove for cover and tried to deflect it with their weapons and whatever skill they could muster. As a lightning bolt made a beeline towards him, the 3rd Seat of the Scripture spun his staff and erected a barrier to shield himself and Lady Kaire. The shield quaked and cracked, but stayed as the numerous lightning bolts rained around them.

The grim looking man turned behind him and said, "By the Gods! Lady Kaire, I cannot hold. Is the spell ready?"

"Yes! Everyone, I am ready!"

With their trump card ready, the Angel's sight turned towards Kaire as she sent the stronger spell to him, but like the 1st time that they used it the golden dragon simply dissipated into thousands of tiny lights. Seeing their trump card failing miserably in front of them committing to their attack pattern instead the Captain staggered to his feet and aimed his spear at Sammael, "Black Scripture! Fight! Fight for your lives!"

"Lancer, attack with full force, Beaumarchais hold the target down!" the androgynous man leap up and dove towards the Angel with the point of his spear pointed downward, "Ability activate [ **Spear of Sundering** ]"

Behind them the man known as 'Tenjho Tenge' and 'Barbaro' who managed to recover from his wounds, charged blindly, their muscles bulging and adrenaline pumping. The barbaric looking man spun his gigantic ax and surrounded the Angel, as Lady Kaire raised her hand and aimed the spell towards Sammael.

"[ **Makaze Kick** ]"

"[ **Culling Axe** ]"

"[ **Phantom Lance** ]"

.

The combined attacks did little to even make him flinch, the combined explosive, wind, and concussive attacks were all taken head-on by the Fallen, their attacks were merely up to Lvl.50 at the most, they could not have picked a worse enemy than a support melee character like him. Deploying his magical protection, he was encased in a bluish cocoon of pure magic as the numerous attacks from the outside did not affect him. He could see their panicked faces, their frantic shouts and the Captain's feeble command to his soldiers. He could not help it though, he was on a warpath, he found one of the World Items that he had heard about and nothing would keep it from his grasp. He suffused power in his clawed gauntlets and willed one of his most flashy spells to the fore, if they can survive this then he will need to acknowledge them at least.

The Fallen Angel grinned inside his mask, " **6th Tier magic!** [ **Fulgur Malum** ]"

A great flash of light as if a flashbang grenade blew in front of them and an ear-shattering boom from the heavens as the Captain looked at their world erupt in explosions and rains of lightning bolts. From the heavens, angry black clouds swirled in ominous formation as they felt their body electrify as flashes of lightning cuts through them. He saw Barbaro took one plasma bolt that burned half of his body, his left arm was gone and his gigantic ax blackened from the hit. There was no blood, only a deep cauterized wound and a deep sigh that he could hear from he knelt. He tried to stand but only felt absolute pain in his joints and his arms and legs, as the world exploded around him he saw the Angel walking calmly towards Lady Kaire.

Bravely he propped himself up with his spear and staggered towards the old woman, he saw Beaumarchais reach him first, but his chain weapon was like a stream of water against a volcano. He saw the Angel grab the chain, pull the young man towards him and strike him to the ground. Beaumarchais did not even grunt in pain as his face exploded and blood splattered to the ground, his weapon clanking useless beside him.

 _'Where is Tenge? Where is Chanter? Astrologer? Necro?'_

[ **Time Stop** ]

 _'That would be Time Turbulence-'_ he saw him running towards the stopped Angel, but his heart sank when-

 **"-a worthy effort, but futile! Cast:** [ **Chronos** ]"

Everything seemed to turn black and white, the 2nd Seat of the Black Scripture's head flew off his head as he saw the Angel finally drew his sword and decapitates his 2nd in command and last line of defense. He saw the evil looking clawed gauntlets bent down and grab Lady Kaire by the upper arm and tried to stand her up. The Captain struggled to get close, but his knees were weak and his body ached. He must have been hit by a lightning bolt, evident by his near deafness and the bright light that stunned him awhile ago. Shaking off the cobwebs of weakness, he crawled and struggled until he finally collapsed and knelt mere yards away from the rogue Angel and Lady Kaire. He finally hear his voice, not the booming voice he had used to fight them, but the normal voice that almost sounded human.

 _"Do you know who I am human?"_

 _"Y-You are the enemy of humanity-"_

 _"-enemy of humanity? Do not be too quick to blame your misfortune on beings too powerful for your comprehension, regardless, I do know who you are Kaire."_

 _"How do you know my name?"_

 _"I hope it comforts you to know, that I once walked the world together with Shursana."_

This stopped the Captain and the old Lady, their eyes widened at this revelation. For him to walk with the God of Death, then that means-

 _"Are you a God?"_

 _"Hmm, you speak as if I am equal to your perception of God? No- I am much more than your 6 Gods."_

 _"You lie!"_

 _"Why lie to a woman already dead? No, I shall spare you the fate of the servants of the 6 Gods."_

"NO!" the Captain cried out as the Angel drew his weapon back and pierced Lady Kaire on her chest where her heart is located. The old woman did not cry out, merely closed her eyes as blood dripped from her lips. The Angel lets her go and she slumped lifeless at his feet, the whole world seemed to stop exploding as he saw Lady Kaire fall.

"Damn it!"

He looked around and tried to asses those that still lived, Lancer stood behind Necro who was putting up a shield of magic that seemed to attract more lightning bolts. Cedran bled out from his wounds awhile ago, Barbaro was cauterized, Beaumarchais's head was done in, while his 2nd in command was decapitated. It would take a lot to revive all of them and would probably have weakened them. He would need to retreat, but looking around there was no other that could fight on the offensive with him. The Cleric had put up a barrier and is protecting their Astrologer, while Tenge-

"Tenge! Where are you?"

"Here, Captain," he turned towards the voice and saw him lying on the ground, his lower body was cauterized and his leather armor singed and melted to his skin. Looking at him, the pain must be excruciating at the moment.

"C-Can you stand?"

"I can barely hold off the pain Captain," the fighter grunted as he tried to move, "It is not easy to stave it off, I can't lift a finger on my right arm too."

"They're all busy defending themselves, where is _Megane_?"

"Our 7th Seat? I haven't seen her since the first contact, it was pretty chaotic, she usually is used for infiltration, not on a massacre like this."

"Damnation," the Captain sighed, "We must get out of here!"

"Captain!" Quintia, the Beast Master and Clementine's sibling slid next to him, he was not moving his left arm as it looked broken and out of angle, "We have to retreat, I can release my dragon! With your command, let me do it."

The Captain took one sweeping look at everyone and sees the Angel walking towards Chanter and Astrologer, "Do it quickly!"

The blonde young man took out an extra large canister and began unlatching the numerous locks holding it down. Speaking a word of power, the canister acts like a pocket dimension and a bright light erupted from it as its seals and binding spells broke loose to show a dragon. White scaled and mighty, it stood as tall as three meters quite similar to the Skeletal Dragon that Ainz fought in E-Rantel, its red eyes radiated power, its teeth were like knives and its scales were as thick as three armored plates welded together. Its roar sent a shock wave through the ground as the Captain propped up their fighter and turned to Quintia.

"Help the others, leave the dead for now."

The Beast Master nods his head and extends his will to the summoned dragon, the thrashing of the enemy caught the attention of the Fallen as he stopped his advance to the 2 women. He was merely feet away from them when he puts his back in front them much to their surprise and took it as a sign of respite, from behind his mask Sammael wanted to laugh maniacally as the dragon headed for him. A dragon was actually heading for him, a real live one, with such elation that fiction truly turned to reality. The Beast Master opened his arms and willed in his mind, _"Albino Dragon Lord, destroy this Angel!"_

Sammael turned to the approaching dragon and felt true happiness and massive geek time welled-up inside, " **Ahahaha a freaking Dragon! A real live dragon! This is just bloody brilliant!** "

Quintia thought to himself as he saw the enemy's elation at the enemy in front of it, "This Angel is insane!"

" **You have truly entertained me thoroughly Black Scripture and for that I am grateful, but our farce has come to an end.** "

Everyone stared as he opened his arms wide, spreads his wings and a bright flash of light erupted from his eyes.

" _ **Rursus in caelum, ferit fortitudine legionis**_ [ **CRUCEM MAGNAM** ]"

A pillar of light exploded in front of him and engulfed the dragon, the blast wave was so hot it singed the hairs of the Captain and threw them all to the ground. The Beast Master was also thrown away like a rag doll, his broken arm flapping uselessly as he managed to take refuge behind a large boulder miraculously spared by the enemy's onslaught. Lancer knelt down as he drove his lance to the ground to prevent himself from flying away, the 3rd Seat code named Necro looked up to the pillar of light and saw it was an energy cross, obliterating anything engulfed within the influence of the spell. A single thought ran through his mind as he pulled back his hood and looked at the mighty being standing not far away.

 _'What have we fought here?'_

The Thousand Mile Astrologer had faltered as far back as the slaughter had begun, while Chanter was powerless to stop the enemy. Her specialty was healing and against evil entities, the problem with their enemy is that his aura is neither. A perfect combination where the darkness swirled in his soul, but the light kept its flame of goodness alight. The moment he used the 8th Tier spell she heard the Astrologer whimper in fear as the only reason both of them were alive was that the blast was being blocked with him standing in front and his back facing them.

Bloodied and broken, a mass of limbs involving the Captain, Quintia, and Tenge shakily propped themselves on their elbows. Shakily the leader of the Scripture looked up as a large energy cross where the dragon once stood stretched high into the sky. They were the pinnacle of the skills of humanity today, they stood on the cusp of power rivaled only by the 13 Heroes, but then this rogue Angel appears and easily humbles them.

Suddenly he felt 2 more presence and his eyes grew wider, a black plate armored angel with black wings of miasma appeared before him and another one with red and silver armor carrying a staff that glowed with starlight, both Angels bowed to their enemy in respect and adoration. It was not hard to see who was superior of the 3 of them. The Fallen Angel with the inverted wings then pointed to Kaire's corpse and then to the Astrologer, then to numerous corpse of his dead men and he immediately knew what his objective was.

It was to capture them!

How could the tables have turned like this? He gritted his teeth and staggered to his feet, as the two Angels began opening [ **Gates** ] to transport the captured dead bodies. He couldn't believe Astrologer's scream of angush as she was forced to her feet. Hysterically, she tugged on the powerful being holding her, but the grip was like stone and her own thrashing could result in her being injured.

He took out a potion and gulped the vial in one go, feeling his body re-invigorated within minutes. The pain on his body numbed and he felt his vitality return to him, he activated the martial of his ancestors and felt his vision darken. A dark power suffusing his body, he was warned that only his great, great grandfather, one of the Six Gods was able to use this properly and those of his lineage. Regardless, it was a dire situation and he never had to use this before, but before he could step forward towards the gathered Angels he felt a great tug on his feet and felt that his feet weighed like a ton.

Turning to the Angels he saw the Fallen Angel's eyes were upon him, mockingly it raised its two hands in exasperation and shook his head, "You should know when to accept defeat [ **Exsecratio** ]"

Bracing his spear to the ground currently holding him down, the Captain couldn't believe it, his power was boosted, his fortitude heightened yet he could not lift one of his legs. It was like a great beast sat on it and would not budge.

Defiance clear on his face, he positioned the spear in front of him as he stood helplessly in front of the 3 Angels. He met their gazes as they appraised him, "My Lord, he seemed competent... and powerful. For a human that is."

"Put down your weapon," the Fallen stood straight in front of him, he was within the range of his spear, but deep in his heart, he knew that he would not be able to even put a dent through his skin, "You are defeated, I do not wish death upon you."

The Captain still defiant did not lower his guard, but merely looked between the 3, the Astrologer helplessly looking at him as they held her against her will, "What do you want?"

"What do we want? Such uncouth behavior, not even giving your name?"

"A name is hardly relevant after killing 5 of my men and Lady Kaire," he grits his teeth and his eyes narrowed more, anger glinting dangerously in them, "You would not find me easy prey."

"Sammael, that is my name, remember it well human for I will certainly be coming for you," the Fallen gave a small wave of his hand, "Your False Gods cannot save you, _Shurshana_ was but a low-level God and I overlook him for it. But I remember now, his seniors and former Guild Master- I still have their heads and old guild flag, perhaps in the future... if you would be worthy then I shall let you see it. For now, I shall let you know that I have had you at my mercy from the beginning."

The Captain was forced on his knees as the full aura of the Supreme Being activated, such overwhelming presence and power, he was going to suffocate just being near them. He could not take it as the pressure threatened to crush him down, he could feel the heat from his aura start to burn away his skin. Like razor winds cutting through his clothes and peppering him with paper cuts on the exposed skin. A clawed hand was reaching for him when there was flash of light

From out of nowhere the 3rd Seat of the Scripture appeared before them, "Scatter to the winds! [ **Darkness** ]"

A dark cloud so thick exploded from the sorcerer as Sammael and the 2 Angels were engulfed in billowing clouds of darkness they could not see. Taking the momentary distraction offered by their sorcerer, the Captain retreated through the darkness as it billowed further and further beyond the tree line. With a strength he did not seem to possess, he grabbed the prone Tenjou Tenge on the ground, puts his arm above his shoulder, Quintia was grabbed by Necro, while Lancer grabbed the Divine Chanter and headed for the hills.

"My Lord," Leliel's voice grated as he twirled his war scythe in his hands, "Shall I pursue them?"

Sammael sighed, "No need, we have what we need."

From where she stood, the Astrologer's eyes widened as the Fallen reached for her head with a clawed hand and spoke, "[ **Sleep** ] [ **Mana Freeze** ]"

Slumping in his arms as consciousness left her, the Astrologer was handed off to Leliel and he quickly understood his orders. He vanished in a strobe of light as he teleport back to their Battle Barge, Zadkiel turned to his Lord and walked a step behind him. The Fallen spoke with a Word and a ruby armored knight flew towards him, her Spuit Lance unmistakable from afar. Shalltear Bloodfallen landed gracefully even though she was fully armored in her war panoply, her grace which is part of her racial skills made her so. She also walked a step behind the Supreme Being as he suffused power in his hands and conjured a [ **Gate** ].

Turning to the 2 NPC's with him, he asked, "What did you think of the battle?"

Shalltear's eyes were shining, "My Lord! You are so benevolent... to think you would give them a handicap!"

"Indeed, it is as Lady Shalltear had said," Zadkiel's head turned to the side, he was mystified, "Why give them a handicap my Lord?"

"I appreciate a good fight, pity though, I thought they could give me more."

He turned around and looked at the fleeing surviving members of the Theocracy, they have put quite the distance from them considering their injuries. He sighed, welp, no use trying to make it so easy for them. Turning to the heavens, he reached out to Ramiel on the Battle Barge. He felt his General welcome his connection and he was projected towards the Archmagi of the Vox. The large cathedral rang with his voice as he commanded.

 _"This is Warmaster Sammael, calling the Stellarum Nex."_

 _"Warmaster, we feel your presence."_

 _"Prepare the Vengeance and Retribution batteries, fire for effect on my mark."_

 _"Copy that, awaiting coordinates."_

 _"Two salvos on Dog one and two, height 600, elevation 0-5-0."_

 _"Target reference confirmed: Dog one and two, height 600, elevation 0-5-0."_

On the deck of the Stellarum Nex the 3 batteries of 9x48cm guns raised their guns into the target coordinates, inside every fortified armored bulkhead a battalion of Skitarii handled the guns with the precision of machines. The loaders carried the 1,500kg shells infused with 8th Tier magic as they loaded and chambered the rounds with precision. A Magi behind them acted as the battery commander and waited for the command to fire.

 _"Jupiter guns, fire for effect on my mark."_

 _"Roger that Warmaster, Jupiter guns 1 and 2 prepping now."_

 _"Same coordinates, fire on my mark."_

Shalltear and Zadkiel followed as Sammael turned and headed for the [ **Gate** ]. The Fallen allowed the 2 NPCs to go through first before looking back and said, _"Stellarum Nex... Mark!"_

Stepping through the portal, the first of the salvo of shells arrived and exploded with a mighty force. The Earthshaker rounds they used simulated the force of a 10th tier spell as it destroyed and pulverized everywhere the shells hit. From behind them, the Captain looked back in horror as the salvo of explosion began coming nearer and nearer, every explosion shook the world and the sound of it vibrated through his bones. Tenge was delirious on his shoulders as Necro raced ahead, Lancer brought up the rear as he carried Chanter bridal style. A whistling sound came from the heavens as he saw something black and metallic bury itself a mere 10 meters where they all stood, the size was like a small barrel as it landed with a 'THUD' on the ground. There was no warning as a bright flash of light, a concussive wave and a split second respite to put up shields before the explosion tore through them and scattered them away like a small boat in a violent storm.

And then there was darkness.

.

.

 **To be continued... Omake Theater:**

.

A blue haired girl's eyes fluttered open as she felt the sun's rays of a lazy early morning bathe her in a gentle shine. Weren't they on a mission? Maybe she was in one of her numerous trances again, but then again what was she doing sleeping on the ground. Feeling silly herself, she rubbed the sleep off her eyes and slowly sat up from the hard ground. Looking around she saw she was in the middle of a sprawling garden. Birds fluttered about and tree branches waved lazily in the wind, there statues in the distance and a great many flags, but dismissed it as something unimportant.

Sighing in exhaustion, she stood up and looked around. The sky was clear and sun lazily flitted through stray clouds as a gentle breeze caressed her face. She walked around the garden, this was an unfamiliar place to her, the grounds of the Theocracy's main cathedral was not like this, she was pondering where she could be, but as she turned her gaze to the large building in front of her. The question whether she was in the Theocracy was answered with a resounding 'NO'. Cautiously she sent her consciousness towards and away from her, like soft tendrils of light, she sent out the feelers of her power and abruptly stopped.

There was 1 being she could feel, not far from here. But it felt like the void, a blank, no magical potential at all. This could be a human, or this could be something else. Feeling nothing else the Astrologer headed for the 'human' she had felt awhile ago. There was gazebo that overlooked the whole garden and she cautiously stepped up to the first steps until she could see a black haired person drinking tea inside the gazebo. Observing quietly, she could vaguely hear music coming in from where he sat. This went on for a minute until he said out aloud, "You know, I heard your heartbeat from 10 yards away."

Taken aback, she huffed and walked over to where the stranger sat. He turned to her and she gasped, his eyes were the most golden of eyes that she had ever seen in her life. He gestured to a seat right across from him, sending her feelers out again, there were no indication that he was hostile. Smiling openly at her, he asked confidently, "Do you have questions for me?"

"Who are you... and where am I?"

"Finally, someone with excellent manners," the way he spoke jolted a memory in her mind, "My fondness of you has increased exponentially."

The man stood up and bowed respectfully, "My name is Sammael," his eyes glowed with power and she was frozen in fear, "and you are a guest in my realm."

He approached the table again and poured a steaming beverage on a porcelain cup, he took a saucer and slowly, but firmly hands it to the woman. Reluctantly, she took the offered drink and looked down at it. The beverage looked thick, sweet, and smelled- what is that smell anyway!? Its not unpleasant, nor was it appealing to her.

Noticing her scrutiny, he smiled gently and said, "I give you my word, that I would not bring you harm while you are a guest. Plus, I do enjoy intelligent conversations with other people so, please try it. You will soon beg me for more."

Blushing a bit at his slightly husky voice, he took a tentative sip and her eyes bugged out.

 _'Was that a taste of heaven?'_ she could only wonder as she took another hearty sip, "What is this drink?"

"Hot chocolate, every woman loves it," Sammael smiled, "I do wonder though, what seems to be the fuzz. Personally, I prefer coffee and tea, but women just loves chocolate huh?"

She shrugged her shoulders and took another sip, "Why exactly am I here?"

"I do not know, the battle just turned into the capturing phase and I kind of had you in my hand. Plus, I just had to ask," the Fallen brushed his black hair with his hand and looked at her with an angle. The ever present charming smile present, "Were you the one looking when I took care of Nigun and his group?"

Hesitantly, she nods her head slowly.

"How much did you see?"

"N-not much... your face was obscured, like looking through a rain-soaked translucent glass."

 _'Probably because of the minor shielding we put up,'_ he smiled, "Do you know what I am?"

At this question she trembled and quickly focused on her drink, "I-I have an inkling, but I cannot believe my ears-"

"How about your heart?" he asked earnestly, "What does your heart tell you?"

"That you are the Gods?"

He looked at her curiously and hmmed, "What is your name then?"

"C-Chaldea..."

"The answer to your question Chaldea, is both yes and no."

Wonder and confusion marred her features and he sighed as he patiently explained the situation, "I am not the Gods that you have worshiped, but I am the God that hunted those you worship. You are enjoying this wonderful beverage with me and it is with my divine will that has kept you alive. I find you unique, and in this I find you very valuable."

She puts the mug down, in terms of offensive magical power she was almost useless in that end. Her gifts were in the scrying, and fortune telling. What could the Gods need of her anyway? Plus, the Theocracy, what would they do? Will they rescue her? Can they even rescue her? With uncertainty gnawing at her heart she stared at those golden pools of orbs that sparkled every time she would gaze at them. Catching herself, she felt her heart was racing as Sammael looked into her eyes fully, smiled and softly touched her unguarded left hand.

 _'What the...'_ was all she thought as a burst of emotion welled-up inside of her.

.

 **Author's note:**

More than 10,000 words? God, I need to stop doing this! The chapters are TOO LONG! Anyway, some translations for you.

Heavenly Push - [ **Dis Caelesti** ] (5th Tier spell, throw all surrounding enemies away, ignores immovable skill)

Lightning Dance - [ **De Choro Fulgur** ] (5th Tier Spell that throws a pillar of lightning in the air and branches out and seeks out enemy)

Lightning Blade - [ **Fulgur Ferrum** ] (Elemental buff gives increased speed, power and amplifies all damage)

Lightning Assault - [ **Fulgur Impetum** ] (5th Tier Spell that attacks all enemies in a straight line, immune while assaulting and fires off a lightning nova or critical enemy hit upon landing)

Lightning Calamity - [ **Fulgur Malum** ] (6th Tier spell, charges the area with electricity, random bolts of plasma cuts through everything.)

Grand Cross - [ **Crucem Magnam** ] (an 8th Tier spell that obliterates everything in a 500 meter radius. A white cross of pure white energy erupts from the sky)

Curse of Execration - [ **Exsecratio** ] (4th Tier speel, restricts movement for single target)

 **rursus in caelum, ferit fortitudine legionis** = When the Hand of Heaven strikes, it strikes with the strength of a legion

Additionally, _Chaldea_ is Astrologer in Latin. Just thought you boys might want to know.


	9. The State

Disclaimer: Still not mine, nor yours.

 **Title: Heaven or Hell**

Chapter 9 - The State

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E-Rantel

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The Mayor of E-Rantel and the respective Guild Master of the Adventurer's and Mage's Guild sat in front of two heavily bandaged individuals. The person in question had long flowing black hair and can only be described as having an androgynous face stared back at them with no fear in his eyes, the blonde haired man who sat beside him also sported numerous wounds and bandages as they met with the leaders of this Fortress City. As the representative of the Crown, Mayor Panasolei sighed and shrugged his shoulders.

"Well let's get it out of the bag, may we have an explanation on why the famed Black Scripture of the Slane Theocracy is found wounded and very much weakened within our borders?"

The man with the blonde hair, named One-Man Army, bowed respectfully and said, "Forgive our trespass, but we are heading to the Draconic Kingdom to help in blunting the assault made by the Beastmen Kingdom. We have received a request for assistance and our leadership found it prudent to give them aid."

Ainzach's eyes turned to slits, "I understand the sentiment, we have heard that the Draconic Kingdom is being hardpressed by the invading Beastmen of the Beastmen Kingdom. But to send a whole Scripture through neighboring kingdoms and in a clandestine manner. That is quite questionable if you asked me."

"Given our august reputation, it was deemed less risky to move without being known instead of revealing ourselves," Quintia bowed respectfully again, "Please do forgive our trespass, but time is of the essence and we needed to aid Queen Draudillon as soon as possible."

"As a neighboring country, of course we can sympathize with the Draconic Kingdom however," the Mayor paused and crossed his arms in front of his chest and looked grim, "This does not answer the question why and what did you encounter that warranted such destruction within the borders of E-Rantel."

The Captain of the Black Scripture sat up straight and began to speak, "We do not know."

"You do not know?" Ainzach didn't seemed convinced, "How can the Captain of the Black Scripture not know?"

"The enemy, if I were to judge it visually, was an Angel."

The Master of the Magician's Guild interjected, "Wait a second, from what we know, the Theocracy is one of the users of Angel Summons. Have you lost control of one of your summons?"

"Of course not, although we would be hard-pressed to summon a mighty angel like the Dominion Authority, it can be done without any detriment to the one who summoned it," the Captain sighed and shook his head, "But the enemy we faced was unlike any Angel we have seen before."

"Indeed, it was just so powerful its unnerving."

Unnerving is an understatement, the hill where the bandits were holed up was stormed by the soldiers of the Kingdom, as they were clearing the area, they also reported that the hill beyond was erupting in fire and the ground shook as if a large leviathan was thrashing about. As the explosions quieted they sent scouts who reported the damage that was done to the surrounding area, they also found the remaining members of the Theocracy scattered about while being guarded by one of their number who appeared less wounded than all the others. She sat on the end of the table, her glasses and high school girl uniform a bit singed from the damages it had attained.

Quintia looked down and said sadly, "We lost a lot of our comrades with that battle, such a terrible enemy to face-"

"I cannot imagine an enemy that the Black Scripture cannot handle? It must be truly horrifying to witness."

"No legendary creature we have faced can equal that Angel, its like fighting the Gods themselves," he adjusted his broken arm and felt a sharp pain in his chest, broken ribs from being tossed around made his breathing difficult, "Everything we have, we threw at it. But nothing made a dent on it, simply defying all logic, it does not make sense at all."

"On its armor?"

"On its bare skin," the Captain replied as the Guild master looked taken aback, "I have fought as hard as I could. But, it is all for naught... our combined strength was not able to end this, rather we were forced to turn tail and run. A hard move to accomplish, although I cannot shake the fact that they actually let us go."

"So, that is the story, we truly hope the Kingdom would overlook this and allow us to go back immediately to the Theocracy and report our findings to the Cardinals."

Quintia bowed again, he was being respectful as the implication of being caught would be very bad. Not only did they lose the bodies of their comrades pending resurrection, they also lost one of the holiest gears of the Gods and let their most powerful diviner be captured.

Ainzach and his peers nods at each other, "You must understand, we need to report this to our monarch. A rogue angel that's roaming around for no apparent reason is a cause for concern. If it is as powerful as you say, we have no choice, but to know more about this enemy."

"Captain," the Mayor looked at the leader of the Scripture and stared him down, he was a pleasant man to be honest, but all these cloak and dagger stuff is grating on his nerves, "I would appreciate if you would take your forces and leave as soon as you are able. I do not want to keep you here more than necessary, you may go."

The Black Scripture members stood up, bowed respectfully and hastily left. Tomorrow they would be gone and be back into the Theocracy testifying to the Conclave of the Cardinals. As they walked out the 3 prominent leaders in E-Rantel talked in hushed tones.

"Well, what do both of you think?" the Mayor asked.

Ainzach sighed and took out a small scroll unfurling it in front of them, "Here is the complete report by the scouts, a gold plate group that is not questionable with their scouting skills, it details the scenes after the eruption of the whole ridge had stopped. And I quote..."

 _'We dismounted from our horses almost 300 meters from the ridge line, the carnage from the bandit lair is still fresh in our mind and it churns the stomach as we saw human beings carved so viciously and precisely like that._

 _'As we passed the tree line and crested the hill we saw a wasteland. Ths former densely wooded plain and forest was now bare earth, there was a patch of sand that has a perfect circumference of 500 meters not far away. It looked like a group of dragons fought over here, nothing is undisturbed, the ground was burned, cratered and still smoking when we got here._

 _'Trees turned to ash and nothing was spared. We spread out in different directions to assess the situation further._

 _'We found a crater, something fell from the sky for sure, but it walked out on its own. Tracks from a possible armored individual, quite heavy for a human, yet its footprint and shape is the same as us. Could be a Beastman, but no records of any beast that wears sabatons on their feet and walking up straight like a human has been recorded._

 _'We found no bodies, but there was an abundance of violence in the place.'_

 _'We saw a path in the destructive pattern of the area, after reaching 400 meters we saw the first of the wounded._

 _'Came upon a man and a woman, she was trying to heal the man that carried a lance._

 _'Came upon another group, a man with his leather armored burned to his skin, druid in team dispatched to assist._

 _'Came upon a girl in a student uniform standing guard over a wizard looking man and a man with blonde hair, both severely wounded._

 _'Came upon the edge of the battle field, we have covered a conservative distance of 2 kilometers. Found a curious artifact, it looked like a small barrel with a slightly pointed and cone-ish head, a combination of both pointed and rounded. It was heavy, and was brimming with magic. Sent the artifact to the Magician's Guild for analysis_

"I assume you still have the artifact on hand?" Ainzach turned to his long-time friend.

"Indeed, we have moved it to a secure location outside of the city."

At this the Mayor frowned, "Why did you move it outside of the city? What if the enemy get its hands on it?"

"The artifact is a container, a very unstable container that is holding a very powerful magic spell."

"What kind?"

"8th Tier."

Ainzach stopped as the Mayor frowned. 8th Tier? From that thing?

"It is quite troubling," the Magic guild master's spoke into his clasped hands, "The magic potential I felt was off the scale. If it goes unstable and decides to unleash its spell, well its going to obliterate the building and any structures surrounding it. We deemed it prudent to move outside where very few can be affected by it?"

"Where is it now?"

"Some noble's house."

"I see, what do you say we do about the report of the Angel?"

"A rogue Angel that can decimate one of the Theocracy's Scripture is quite disconcerting," Ainzach shook his head, "If it decides to come here, how effective can we repel it? As it stands right now, we would be powerless to stop it."

"Can our Adamantite ranked groups handle it?"

The Guild Master nodded, "They could, but it might be a tough battle. Adamantite warriors are hard to come by and they are not always gathered in 1 spot."

The Mayor stood up and walks over to the door, "I will be sending a report to the Capital, they must know what happened here."

"Agreed."

All three men stood up and prepared to leave, their minds heavy with the thought of the unforeseen enemy that decided to come. Hopefully, they would have something to stop it in case the time would come.

.

.

Stellarum Nex

.

Chaldea walked behind Sammael as she carried his demon mask in her arms, the material was unlike anything she have ever felt before. It was beautifully made, horns that had the texture of a real one, it was light considering how thick and massive looking it is. Plus, it magically adhered to his face in case he wants to keep hidden. She turned to the left and looked at his massive back, every movement he made rippled his muscles underneath as she focused on her shining black hair and his inverted and individually feathered white and gold wings.

A long nagamaki with a carved hilt was strapped on his back as they headed to the Cathedral.

She could not believe it, she had the impression that a being like him would make her suffer since she was technically, a prize of battle, but she couldn't be more wrong. He was extremely gentle last night and she couldn't understand how, but all she could remember was sipping hot chocolate, then a touch of a hand, a short flight to the top of the Cathedral to his lavish quarters and then her gripping the bed's headboard in ecstasy.

She felt sore. But very satisfied. It didn't feel like they stopped at least once last night, he kept pulling her to his embrace and can she really, honestly, stop him if she wanted to?

Chaldea found him to be too much caring for a Supreme Being, after waking up, she was fed using his hands until she could eat no more. Then he inspected the legions, upon legions of men he had at his disposal, she concluded that they were men, but something much more. His soldiers called Skitarii Legionnaires had the faces of men, their skin was pale, their faces a mixture of masked covering the lower half of the face to full on mask on some, you can hear their approach by the breathing they do, a heavy intake of breath and a very audible exhale. They wore breastplates, with the 8 pointed star in the middle, which is Sammael's symbol, meticulously carved at the center. It seemed enchanted because it glowed with an inner light as she looked at it with her astral eyes. Their armaments also were varied, some carried shields, while others carried swords, glaives, spears, axes and warhammers. They also carried a tube-like weapon that shoots out magical bolts to the enemy, to be fair, it is safe to say that all their weapons are magically imbued.

They wore knee high boots as they marched with the precision of the Empire's Royal Guard, they were donned in red menacing cloaks that hid their faces that added a psychological fear effect against their enemies. With their glowing eyes that is under their hoods, they were truly terrifying to look at. Curiously, they do not speak very much, they are only commanded and they obey without question.

As Sammael inspected the lower parts of his ship, which she couldn't truly believe at first, she saw the weapons that can destroy any city he wished in one salvo. The ammunition for their main battery weighed 1.5 tons, it was pushed into place by the legionnaires before closing a latch and then firing. Their largest pieces of artillery were the Jupiter guns and there were only two of these weapons, but they easily jutted out of the ship in firing position. Her eyes goggled as she saw that their shells were bigger than a peasant's dwelling, she was shocked when they told her it weighed almost 7 tons.

Chaldea shook her head, such a powerful army under his beck and call, he was truly a God in every sense.

But that is exactly the point, he had denied his divinity last night, rather he pointed out that he was only a Supreme Being. A demigod at least in his own words, a mighty individual that wishes to only find others like him. She was still contemplating this when she felt another immense source of power near her.

The Astrologer looked up and saw an obsidian robed individual standing on the top step of the Cathedral. From afar it looked like he was wearing a mask, but as they got closer she saw he was actually a skull face, red orbs of light in his eyes represent the light of the undead. Just like the Fallen Angel, this ones power is also enormous, 10th tier and beyond, she had never seen it and she prayed that she would not need to see it. As they approached the Lich, it inclined his head to the side as Sammael waved a casual hand in the air.

So, that means they are speaking to each other. Perhaps a higher form of message?

She also saw a very beautiful woman with long black hair and alabaster skin, golden eyes and a bosom to rival hers and Chanter. Her white gown that hugged her curves leave little to the imagination, and her wings and horns is a glaring reminder that her beauty is both deadly and definitely inhuman.

"Sammael," the skeleton's voice was a deep baritone voice, a commanding presence that is both regal and exuded the aura of royalty, "I see we have the survivor of your skirmish?"

"Indeed, if you can call that a skirmish, it is not for a lack of skill that they failed," the Fallen looked at Chaldea and beckoned her closer, "They have simply not reached their full potential as humans, I believe it would be difficult for them to do so without guidance."

"Most unfortunate then, it seems low level grinding is still the best way to progress further."

"Agreed, though this might take a lot of time."

"But what if they had a venue? A place where they can grind? Of course, without the danger of suffering a premature death."

Sammael and Ainz walked forward and entered the Cathedral, the beautiful woman fell into step with the Lich, while Chaldea followed 2 paces behind the Fallen. They continued their conversation as she felt the eyes of the woman beside her, the golden eyes held no emotion towards her and actually smiled as she audibly sniffed towards her.

"I see Lord Sammael has taken a liking to you."

She turned, shocked at the soft voice that spoke, it was like pealing bells on top of a hill, "E-excuse me...?"

"Forgive me, my name is Albedo... I believe you to be named Chaldea?"

Inclining her head in respect, "Y-yes, my name is Chaldea... umm, about your question before-"

"I was merely implying that I can smell the scent of our Lord Sammael all over your body."

The Astrologer's cheeks blushed crimson, she could feel her face heating up and her blue hair almost turning red. Bashfully she hid half of her face as she made a moaning sound of embarrassment, she did not mean to not take a full bath yet as the Fallen Angel would not allow her out of his sight.

"I am quite jealous though," there was glint of insatiable hunger on Albedo's eyes as she looked at the Overlord's back, "I keep wondering when Lord Ainz would take me to bed with him, but so far, I have only been waiting patiently. Tell me, was that your first time?"

Silence was her reply as the succubus laughed softly in a simpering manner. The Supreme Beings reached the interior of the building and they continued on through the structure.

"...not to mention the territory we will need."

Sammael rubbed his chin in contemplation, "I can see what you mean? Hmm, what if we establish a protectorate or a separate state?"

"A separate state? Do elaborate?"

The Supreme Being began mounting the steps to the multi level grand hall of the cathedral, great bells with numerous ornaments and carvings welcomed them as a plethora of red robed Skitariis and Magis manned the stations. "A separate state is entirely independent from the surrounding government, we can declare the Great Tomb as what it is. A Great Tomb which will be the central point of our government. Our territory will stretch the whole Forest of Tob, or at least those in our immediate vicinity, I heard the twins have enforced supremacy on the numerous low-sentient creatures residing in it except the treant."

Ainz nodded, "That is true, while I may have acquired Hamusuke-"

"-Hamusuke!? The Djungarian Hamster?"

Ainz nodded again, "Yes, that's the one."

"Why the hell _Hamusuke_ though?"

"It was supposed to be _Daifuku_ , but I got caught up in it and chose that instead."

Sammael hmmed and said, "Okay, we were discussing the other monsters."

"Indeed, though there are 2 more monsters that the twins dealt with on their own, a Naga, and a Troll Warlord that they enjoyed subduing there are no more notable events in our prospected territory. Oh! The subjugation of the Lizardmen was successful, Cocytus even had an innovative idea."

"Oh?"

Ainz's face remained neutral, but his voice inflected a smile, "He actually offered to guide the Lizardmen and their tribes to be a better servant of Nazarick. Well, we did show them our overwhelming army, got to hand it to them, their bravery remained steadfast even after witnessing Gargantua."

"You let him out?" Sammael shook his head in disbelief, "I suppose they crapped in their pants."

"They were shaken, but held steady."

"Then for bravery's sake and the Warrior Spirit and initiative Cocytus showed, I believe they deserve to be a part of Nazarick-" Sammael stopped and raised his index finger to make a point, "-rather try to earn their special niche in being part of Nazarick."

Ainz smiled and turned his head to the side, "I have also demanded their first born to be given in service to Nazarick, they will be strong, powerful, and above all the testament to the success of our endeavors."

"You mean the Academy Program?"

"Yes."

"Then, we must make our territory established as quickly as possible."

They kept going up the tiers until they reached the top most tier where the Crimson Throne was situated, the item that Sammael created out of the weapons his vanquished enemies formerly possessed, which he used as his seat like an iron throne. Another lavish seat was provided for Ainz and they both sat down as equals. Albedo and Chaldea stood on one side as the Overlord turned to them, "Albedo, gently impart to her the protocols we are currently upholding. I trust I do not need to say more."

Albedo bowed down and smiled, "Of course my Lord."

She turned to Chaldea and began, "As a consort of a Supreme Being-"

"C-consort!?" she hissed in alarm and panic. Considering she was not the most beautiful girl in the Theocracy, hell, even Divine Chanter was worlds fairer than her, and yet she suddenly has a label? Wasn't she a slave? A prisoner of war?

"Yes," the succubus gently said, "Though it is beyond me why my Lord Sammael would choose a human as his consort, considering your talents, I can understand why. Moving on, keep in mind that you have been claimed by the Supreme Being, therefore you now serve the Supreme Beings."

She nodded unsure of what to say to Albedo as Ainz and Sammael conversed in front of them, "With a flicker of their hands and by their will they could erase us from existence, Lord Sammael in particular is, in the words of Lord Ainz a superior fighter and warrior. Though as a spellcaster, our Overlord is of course superior to our Warmaster. He once said that if they should duel to the death, it could continue forever or until they ran out of mana and they brawl hand to hand."

"A-and who do you think would win?"

Albedo smiled sweetly, "That is for you to find out."

"As I was saying, since you are his consort, always keep in mind that you will need to be mindful of your manners always. Do not deny him anything, nor speak without being addressed unless he instructed or given leave of it otherwise."

"Understood."

"Also, it would be well if you take extra care of your appearance and general tidiness so that it would not taint the Supreme Beings. Has he given you garments yet for your use?"

"-not yet."

"Then prepare for it and be sure to accept it with your whole being, any gift they impart does not look just aesthetically beautiful, but have properties that will provide you protection no doubt."

"Now then, you need to-"

Sammael gestured to Chaldea and Albedo stopped talking and gently nudged her forward, "He calls for you- approach at once."

The Overlord was still discussing the proposed dungeon copy of Nazarick when Chaldea settled on the armrest of the Fallen's own throne. Paying it no mind they continued speaking as Sammael settled down in caressing his new consort on her hand.

"Agree, we should go ahead with the following projects, first is the integration of the whole Forest of Tob, cleansing of the unknown Treant, and declaring our sovereignty."

"That will include Carne Village to our sovereign grounds."

"That would be great, it was there that we did open our way to the outside world did we not?," Sammael pressed a button on the console and a new tactical map opened, he noticed that the lights dazzled Chaldea's eyes as her usual visions that she see in her head is currently projected in front of her now, "I believe we should do a 3-pronged assault to the Kingdom, Empire and the Theocracy."

A stab of fear made Chaldea cold as she felt the reassuring touch from the Supreme Being. The Overlord inclined his head and seemed to grin.

"What do you have in mind then?"

.

.

Elven Country - Forest of Evasha near the border of the Slane Theocracy

.

The Elven King stood up on top of a tower as he surveyed his lands, he had come to this world a long time ago and had evaded all manner of threats. From the 6 Great Gods, to the 8 Greed Kings, then the Demon Lords and finally the 13 Heroes. This was not his original world, he still has memories for his days of his previous life, but they were all broken scenes, snippets that he could not connect with each other. It was a foggy memory that seemed to be coming to the fore of his mind, he had decided to integrate his way to the Elves of this world and found them absolutely lacking.

Unlike his wonderful and superior being, none of the children he fathered with other Elven women bore any semblance of his powers. He also tried to teach them, but no good every came out. He sighed as he stepped back inside the room and looked at the mirror, his long silvery hair and smooth alabaster skin was impeccable, a robe of the finest silk and a crown made from branches of an ancient tree interspersed with gold and star-like jewels. Heterochromia eyes were his most powerful asset as this made him the divine ruler of the Elven race. He remembered one child that he fathered that carried his bloodline perfectly, the so-called trump card of the Theocracy, their most powerful servant.

Zesshi Zetsumei.

Her mother was a feisty one and was actually poisoned to be compliant to him, but she can never stop him anyway, he was merely amusing her to give her a false sense of strength. But to think the Theocracy would succeed in taking her back, he intended to impregnate her further and make an army of his offspring, and if their mother should fail in that endeavor then he would just have to make do with his daughters. He pretty much don't cared about incest anyway, he is beyond that now though.

However, he had not considered to encounter worthy successors and partners of his own. He had heard of the 2 powerful Elven children from the denizens of the forest. Their former home, which was located in the middle of the Great Forest of Tob seemed to be harboring 2 Elven children, a female druid and a male ranger.

So, imagine his surprise to see two Dark Elf children with the same eyes as his walked within the borders of his kingdom. They were escorted by red-robed figures and heralded by two tall lithe figures. One was garbed in black plate and lamellar armor, while the other was garbed in white and red armor. The two elven children were seated in a richly, wooden carved palanquin carried by brown robed servants.

It was impossible to even consider them anything, but perfect.

The boy had shoulder length hair and was clothed in the finest red dragon scale shirt, white vest with golden strands and armed with a bow and whip. He would definitely break the hearts of many when he grows up. The Elven King then looks at the girl. Even in the Old World he could not even imagine the last time he lusted like this. She was merely a child, yet the knee-high stockings, mini skirt, blue dragon scale shirt with matching white vest made his heart scamper through the floor. Coupled with her extremely docile and innocent face, the only thing that marred her image was the gauntlets that she wore. One of them was a white steel that sparkled in the rays of the sun, it looked like the sun's rays were being absorbed in it and then projecting it back much brighter. The other one was a black angry steel gauntlet, while the previous one was white, holy and angelic even in nature, the other was evil, savage and seemed to radiate darkness incarnate. But overall he found himself controlling his saliva as he gazed at the young girl with the eyes of a predator.

 _'Hmm, fresh meat.'_

And these exquisite morsels decided to just walk within his reach, truly going into this world certainly picked-up his sex life.

He walked inside to sit on his throne as indubitably the two dark elves would go to him. He smiled as his sensitive hearing heard the whispers of his subjects. A plethora of 'how beautiful' , 'their eyes' , 'divine will' reached his ears. He decided to stretch his reach further to gauge the strength of the two, but was met with a wall of magic. That never happened before to anyone who entered his domain, the skills he had were not dulled as there was no level down on his end. Suddenly cautious of the twins, he sat down on his throne, his spear resting across his lap.

Finally, the two doors leading to the throne room opened and his guards stepped inside, from behind pillars surrounding the throne room black armored guards seemed to come out of the shadows, their faces masked by raven masks, carrying large sword staffs and longswords on their back. They are the elite of the Elven Army and thus, tasked with the protection of the Elven King. But compared to their charge, they were mere mewlings to him, their steps although as silent as a whisper seemed to sound like marching boots compared to the King. With great contempt he walked over to the Throne and sat down, his guards surrounding him in a protective cocoon.

A few minutes past and his high-ranking councilman entered the chambers and bowed in respect.

" _Ai, Hir Vuin_... two elven children is requesting your presence."

"Send them in immediately," he sat still, one advantage that he found after going to this world was his racial ability to be unmoving without any apparent discomfort, he tried to relax as the double doors opened and in stepped the two armored sentries of the children. The brown robed servants carried the palanquin easily as they settled it down to the floor and the twins finally stepped down. He gazed at them and quelled the heat that suddenly erupted from his chest, they were just perfect, innocent, and delicious. The golden embroidered symbol on their chest pocket stirred a long forgotten memory.

"May I present, Aura Bella Fiore-" the King noticed the young boy smiling, but never bowing at him, he paid it no heed instead letting it pass.

The adjutant turned to the girl and said, "-and of course, Mare Bello Fiore. They are Envoys from their leader-"

"Enough!" the Elven King stood up and raised his hands, he opens his arms wide and made a show to come down from his throne and approached the two children.

 _"Mae govannen Aura-"_ he approached and touched his forehead to the young boy, his skin was unexpectedly smooth and silky, as expected of his own race, he then turned hungrily to the girl and bent down to touch his cheek to hers hungrily, " _\- mae govannen Mare._ "

He stepped away and looked at their pained expression, the girl was trying to hide her discomfort, but the male was showing his disdain fully. In truth, who would think to make them Envoys in the first place. Regardless, he looked affable as he said, "To what do I owe this pleasure of a visit?"

"Oh, we come to demand you surrender your crown and be ruled over by Lord Ainz."

A sleeping monster seemed to awaken in his mind as a memory long gone broke the surface. The Elven King's words were like a whisper and the malice in it was evident as he took a single step back.

"What did you say?"

The boy beats his chest as he puffed it out and declared loudly, "This kingdom is now under the power and authority of Ainz Ooal Gown and the Great Tomb of Nazarick!"

 _'Ainz Ooal Gown? AINZ OOAL GOWN!?'_

Vanishing in a puff of smoke, he reappeared in front of his throne and was armed in his war panoply in a second, _A'Evasha, u-dano i faelas a hyn an uben tanatha le faelas."_

Black guards armed with elven longbows suddenly poured forth from the shadows as the King looked at them with his livid face, they were surrounded from the sides and from above, " _Tangado a cha-dad!_ "

The two giants pulled out their weapons as Aura and Mare were enveloped by a mass of brown and red robes, _"Leithio i phillin!"_

Sounds of drawn strings taut to a point and released resounded around the large hall, a swarm of arrows flew towards them and there was no point of escape. That is until Zadkiel, twirled his weapon the 'Rod of Arafel' and struck the ground with it. A large concussive wave radiated outward and those soldiers that is beyond the immediate vicinity were the only ones that were not thrown backwards. The Elven King's brow raised as he melded in the shadows, so his old life managed to find him here. It is of little consequence, he would just have to -

"[ **Shadow Strike** ]"

A scythe swept through where his head used to be as the Elven King saved himself by the skin of his teeth. The shadow that attacked him turned and spun as the previous 2 handed weapon suddenly splits in half and became 1 handed small scythes that slashed 3 of the guards right away that was upon him.

The 2 Angels moved in unison as they pursued the Elven King.

"I am Kaeravash, King of the Elven realm!" He ducked and rolled and then drew his arrow to his bow, "And you will not find me easy prey! Twin Maximize magic [Lightning Dragon Shot]"

A piercing blue light erupted from the tip of his arrow as it shot out of his weapon. Yggdrasil or not, no amount of power can they dish out he won't be able to match. The black armored angel combined his weapon again and spun it on its body. As the shot came towards him he casts his own magic.

"Twin Maximize magic [ **Shadow Dimension** ]"

A dark mass appeared before them that swallowed the incoming arrow shot minimizing the damage. Seeing he was matched against 4 NPCs he made a hasty retreat burying them with the sheer magnitude of his guards. He would gather his soldiers and drive them back, then he would lay low any being that comes after him from that wretched guild. He turned his head and saw the black armored angel cleaving a destructive path behind him, supporting the angel was Aura and Mare, wielding her whip like an extension of her body. She gave crowd control and massive AOE DPS as support while Mare seemed intent to pursue him personally.

He jumped down from the 3rd floor with the grace of his race and promptly fell face down on his face.

"SHIT!" he cursed, "What the-"

"[ **Prison Vine of the Eldar** ]"

The Elven King saw thick vines engulfing his right leg, the roots dug deep into his legs and thorns began to pop out. Gritting his teeth, he nock an arrow on his bow and drew quickly, he poured forth all his mana and his eyes glowed.

"Triple Maximize Magic! [ **Arrow of Orion** ]"

An eerie silence descended on them, time seemed to slow as a black and white circle appeared in front of him and quickly weaved magical circles that made one of the Angels initiate the sacrifice protocol. As the Elven King released his arrow it quickly passed through the two magic circles and it exploded into a mass of light, like stars and supernovas passing through the night sky. The Elven King grinned evily as he caught the two Angels in the cross fire. But he didn't count on the support Angel to tuck inside his wings and surge forward to the front. He opened his wings in full, arms out wide in a defiant gesture. The spell struck him fully, completely putting himself at the front thereby shielding Aura, Mare and Leliel. His eyes wide at the self-sacrificing Angel, it slumped forward and skidded to the ground, its weapon clanking to the ground as it sighed consciousness leaving it at once. The plate armor was damaged, even shattered at some places, a testament to the the spell it had endured. Normally, such a savage blow would fell lesser NPC's, but it is a surprise that it managed to held steady and keep alive the entity it carried.

He nock another arrow to fire, but in the split second that Zadkiel landed to the ground while kneeling a black shadow flew towards him in a wide arc as he saw a raging angel heading for him. Kneeling down, he was in prime firing position, with accelerated speed he drew the bowstring back and let loose another shot.

"Triple Maximize Magic! [ **Arrow of Orion** ]"

Unlike the first time though, the shot went wide upwards to the ceiling. Harmlessly it pulverized the ceiling and peppered the combatants in stone and wooden debris. He looked down at his bow and found the reason for the missed shot, he could see that a whip was coiled on the tip of his bow and the other end was coiled around the hands of a young Dark Elf child. She had an innocent grin on her face as she let loose a single arrow from her longbow, the whip and bow both held in the left hand with adroit skill it seemed impossible.

"[ **Shadow Piercing Arrow** ]" the playful grin on Aura was unmistakable as she released her arrow.

 _'Shit!'_ the Elven King's body stood rigid as his shadow was rendered immovable by Aura's skill, _'Counter-sniper!'_

A shadow loomed overhead and raised an ornate scythe, it glowed ominously as the bearer seemed like the epitome of the darkness it carried, "I am the Angel of the Night, [ **Ferrum** **Nochte** ]"

The last thing the Elven King saw was Mare kneeling to the prone form of Zadkiel and the large blade of the scythe coming down at him.

"Well piss-"

.

.

Royal Capital of the Re-Estize Kingdom

.

One week later, unbeknownst to the Kingdom, the Mayor of E-Rantel had just had an audience with his Majesty and the Head Warrior, his report of a rogue Angel attacking and decimating the Black Scripture brought great concern and worry over the monarch. The description of the Angel itself also gave them pause as Gazef confirmed the existence of the Angel by linking his previous experience with the Sunlight Scripture near Carne Village.

Previous events at Carne Village allowed the King to consolidate his power and bring down powerhouse nobles who had allied with the Slane Theocracy, charged with treason where they were executed, their lands were seized and their fiefdoms. Since then, more and more of the Noble Faction's power over the crown had waned and this chance the King did not squander. Quick thinking allowed him to take control more of the noble's holdings and their land. A frenzy of patriotism was sweeping the Kingdom as more and more the Crown established its power base even more.

Even the eldest Prince, Barbro Andrean Vaiself, seemed smug about his new power base who had ridden off his patron nobles who were also executed.

As such, it is these recent events that King Ranpossa III valued Gazef Stronoff's view as they both sat down and discussed the things that would be for the betterment of the Kingdom.

"Gazef, is the being that have lend you aid be willing to parley perhaps?"

"My liege, I have fought countless enemies, and have gone great lengths of danger for the Kingdom, which is your realm," the Head Warrior said while bowing his head, "But never have I encountered such a fear when I implied to the Angel that I met and his companion our 'forced conscription'."

"What do you mean?"

Gazef closed his eyes and tried to remember the memory, "Your majesty, permit me to say that it felt like time stopped for the few seconds they gave me their answer. A vision reached my mind and I saw-"

His hesitance was not lost to the King, who prodded him and said, "Yes?"

"-I saw the Royal Capital burning... in my mind and in their implied answer."

"To think they would have that effect to my fearless Champion," King Ranpossa rubbed his chin and sighed, "Let us hope then that they would be partial to a parley, now moving on to domestic matters it is my concern that-"

The two double doors leading to the Throne Room suddenly opened and a shaken looking herald stepped forward and announced the newcomer.

"Your Highness, a messenger from E-Rantel has arrived."

The man bowed and fetched a haggard looking messenger, with the Head Warrior at his side he beckoned the messenger closer. Approaching within ten paces of the King, the messenger bowed and opened the scroll he was carrying. The next words sent a chill on the back of the King and even the mightiest person in the Kingdom cannot help, but feel a twinge of fear and a foreboding of doom.

 _"Your Highness, I am Magistrate Rettenmaier, I sent this notice to the Crown and to my Brother Panasolei's residence to request aid. E-Rantel is currently under siege by an unknown army, they came from the sky and commands ships as large as a town and flying in the air._

 _"Their banner flies an unknown symbol, but have declared their allegiance to the Sorcerer Kingdom._

 _"Initial skirmish had already begun and we have locked down the whole city, in a manner of hours the first outer gate has been breached and at the time of us writing his message, they have begun to siege the 2nd gate. Their soldiers are superbly powerful and innumerable. So far, they have shown great restraint and only slain the garrison of soldiers and hurt none of the civilians caught in-between._

 _"Please send aid your Majesty, we cannot hold out for long._

 _"Gods Save the King!"_

Ranpossa III rubbed his forehead and shifted his crown to the side, he looked at Gazef and he saw a grim expression on his Head Warrior.

"Gazef," the warrior turned to his liege and bowed, "Gather the nobles, we need to discuss this right away and send for my daughter later, I wish to speak with her later."

The Head Warrior bowed low and inclined his shoulder sideways, "As you command, your Highness."

.

.

 **To be continued... Omake Theater:**

.

The Elven King's eyes flew open as he found and felt that he was strapped to something hard. Feeling confident that no prison on the New World can hold him down, he activated his skill and found that nothing happened.

 _'What the fuck...'_

He tried to activate all manner of spells and martial arts he had learned through the centuries of being alive to no avail. He was trapped. The great Elven King of old began sweating as he felt something very, very wrong, like he was living in a nightmare. He was still tugging mightily, trying to escape and loose his bindings, but it held strong and unyielding. Chittering sounds made him analyze his bindings further and found them not to be ropes, but a bug hybrid that specifically targets and eats the target's mana pool. He was not able to make anymore action before a door opened in front of him with a loud clang and he finally saw his captors.

"GOD DAMN YOU AINZ OOAL GOWN MEMBERS!" sheer anger flooded the face of the Elven King.

The Supreme Being approached and "We meet again Shiro..."

"Don't you fucking Shiro me! I remember what you did to our guild! For 400 years I spent here-"

"-raping, killing, power-tripping and doing all manner of sexual offense you would be hanged 10 times over in our society!" Sammael approached, his eyes blazing in anger and fury, "You even had the gall to touch the twins in a lewd manner... had touched those that I love!"

"Save your scary speeches to the weaklings of this world! They mean nothing to me!" the Elven King shouted in defense, "And they're NPC's you maniac! Nothing more than just NPCs! We are Gods here! GODS! And you're defending a fuckin' NPC!"

"They are alive."

"So fucking what?" his aristocratic countenance was gone, replaced by a deranged human mind in an timeless elven body, "Nothing is real, everything is permitted for us! Only US! US! Every single player who came here has left, gone into the oblivion of time!"

The Fallen walked around the table, "What about you? Your still here... why haven't you ruled the world yet? You could have with your skill and power."

"It was hard for me you prick! You leveled me down!" the Elf King roared in anger, "You raided our guild and killed me you crazy son of a bitch! We were scattered when you destroyed our guild weapon!"

"Ah, yes... the so-called Bow of Apollo, pretty weak for a Guild weapon," this made the Elf struggle with all his might and grew more agitated.

"I will never forgive you, I will forever remember your trespass against us and ME!"

"Holding on to old hatreds could be fatal," he looked down at the defiant elf, his heterochromic eyes were blazing with fury and unbridled loathing, "Very well... your choice."

 _"Omae wa mou shindeiru..."_

 _"N-nani... ?"_

Sammael suddenly stepped in front of him and raised his clawed gauntlets, weakened by his bindings and the previous battle, his body was not able to resist the blow it received. The Fallen Angel tore off his neck and jugular as the Elven King's blood gurgled and rushed up to his severed neck.

Slowly the skin of the Elven King Player paled and finally its shaking body had stilled. Its life finally extinguished.

"Clean this up."

The Supreme Being stepped out of the interrogation room and was immediately flanked by 2 of his Angels. They walked beside him as he headed for the upper decks, as he turned a bend he came face to face with Ainz and together they walked side by side followed closely by Ramiel and by Albedo.

"Was it necessary to kill him? He did came from our world."

"Yes," Sammael flexed his clawed gauntlets and wondered how easy it felt to do so, "But he was a deranged man, and keeping him alive could prove detrimental in the long run. Also, it runs in the family."

Ainz turned to him in wonder, "...runs in the family?"

"His father was Yuta Takahata."

"Hmm, wasn't he the former actor? He got convicted in the later part of his life for rape right?"

"That's right, apparently 400 years of being an ageless and powerful Elf drove him into more bouts of insanity," the Fallen shook his head, "This fiasco with the 'Elven King' tires me out and I'm glad its over... turns out we were actually doing the Elves a favor for killing that son of a bitch."

"Did the twins finally took their place as both King and Queen?"

Sammael nods his head, "Generals Leliel and Baraqiel took care of the old guards at the Elven Capital. The people actually embraced their new monarch. Didn't you know that heterochromia is a trait of Elven Royalty, aside from being truly beautiful it epitomizes the unification of both Dark Elven and High Elven blood."

Ainz rubbed his chin as they finally reached the upper deck where the flurry of activity indicated a military maneuver. Numerous crates of weapons, munitions, provisions, and the like were hauled into smaller crafts that was held inside the cavernous body of the Battle Barge. Row upon row of soldiers formed smartly as the two Supreme Beings swept past them. They went past the flurried activity and stood in front of two sarcophagus with carved images of angels and demons.

The Overlord looked at the Angel and asked, "2 more?"

"Yes, we will be pushing from our territory now and establishing more beyond the borders of this realm. We need more men."

"Very well," he looked at the two sarcophagus, why were all his Generals inside boxes anyway? "So, this is where you kept your Generals huh? Metal bawkses? They hide in METALLL BAWKKSESS...!"

Sammael looked at Ainz oddly, "What is this your going on about now?"

A green aura washed over Ainz, "Nothing... I don't know why I said that."

"Carrying on, aside from a [ **Perpetual Sleep** ] spell that will keep them in stasis for the next battle, a [ **Regeneration** ] spell is also casts in with the lot."

The Overlord turned away and began walking away, "I must say, how many Legions do we have right now?"

As if counting on his head, Sammael looked up a bit and finally said, "Our standing army is at 8 Legions at 10,000 strong at least, not counting the numerous infantry, armor and support battalions."

Ainz pondered that information, if 1 of his soldiers is worth 15 men, which is the lowest rating she could give then it is equivalent to at least 150,000 men. But not counting their augmentations, skills and hidden magic, then every legion's power would be considerable. Not including their undead, plus every warrior who fell can either serve as an undead or an automaton like most of Sammael's soldiers.

"Do you have any idea now on what name will our Kingdom be?"

The Overlord pondered for a bit, "How about the Magic Kingdom?"

"Are we a freaking theme park?"

"How about the Magic Republic?"

"Meh... sounds like a vape store."

"Err... Undead Nation?"

"Mm... that's nice, but how about the other demi-humans then?"

"Why don't you give your own input then?" Ainz exclaimed exasperated.

The Fallen rubbed his chin and said, "Hmm, how about the Independent State of the Immortal Sorcerer?"

" _ISIS? Sounds terrifying, like a whole lot of terror going on in there. It's like where all the little terrorizers crawl out and learn how to be... umm... terrifying._ "

"You have a point, I don't like the acronym anyway... sounds like a bunch of backward thinking, camel humping, male raping sons of bitches," Sammael shrugged his shoulder, "How about the Sorcerer Kingdom then?"

"That-" Ainz stopped and considered as the name rolled out of his non-existent tongue, "-that is actually a good name."

Sammael nodded and opened a [ **Gate** ], "Then Sorcerer Kingdom it is. My friend it is now time to shake the world, we only need to wait for the Kingdom, Empire and Theocracy to respond in kind."

.

.

 **Author's Note:**

.

The Elven words are Sindarin, from Lord of the Rings, one of my favorite books and movies. :3

 _Ai, Hir Vuin - Hail, My Lord._

 _Mae govannen - Welcome_

 _A'Evasha, u-dano i faelas a hyn an uben tanatha le faelas." ,_ _'Oh Children of Evasha, Show them no mercy, for you shall receive none.'_

 _Tangado cha-had! , Prepare to fire_

 _"Leithio i phillin!" - Release the arrows!_

Thank you so much for the reviews! Many thanks. I thought there weren't many who were reading it so I was kinda delayed in finishing and posting it. I was demotivated if I may dare say so, the reactions 2 chapters back were underwhelming that I was considering to make a climactic finish and do a Japanese ending on it.

If anyone, wants to do a spin-off or a lemon scene with a Fallen Angel and a human, be my guest, just tell me when its finished. I want to read it too.

Well, then. I do hope you enjoy.

 _._

Cheers,

Scarabeye3000


	10. Oposing Fronts

Disclaimer: Not mine, nor yours. Bugger then.

 **Title: Heaven or Hell**

Chapter 10 - Opposing Fronts

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E-Rantel

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How could this have happened?

The Magistrate or the overall commander of the army garrison pounded on his table as he contemplated on what to do. Of all the damned time, this crisis just dropped on his lap when his brother, the Mayor Panasolei Rettenmeier, was actually away and at the Capital right now doing an important report regarding the recent 'disturbance' made by the Slane Theocracy. He sighed as he stood up and looked out the window. Outside his garrison, chaos reigned as he saw soldiers struggling to erect makeshift barriers and defensive strong points on the 2nd wall of the fortress city. Their red-robed enemy seemed to appear out of nowhere, like a rain of confetti, they dropped down from the sky from white iron crosses that now jutted the surrounding area. Until it quickly devolved into the most brutal melee he had ever seen in his life. It seemed unreal and totally out of this world the ferocity and methodical way their enemy fought, but then again, the way they look was anything but ordinary.

In fact, he couldn't even believe the first time he saw their enemy's appearance up front.

The memory of it stuck in his mind clearly as day. He came with a detachment of soldiers that was shoring up defenses on the Eastern Gate on the beginning of the fighting and they were shocked at the overwhelming speed upon which they were attacked. The garrison on the gate had been wiped out in less than a few minutes and they were alerted on their headquarters and they quickly headed over. An initial reinforcement was sent and he could see that they were actively fighting with them already, they got down to the melee right away and began to help his beleaguered soldiers. But when he engaged one, what he saw baffled him, the sword their enemy carried was flimsy yet he saw the same sword pierce through an armored soldier effortlessly. They were wearing iron masks of varying make and was covered in blood red robes and their arms were gilded in metal, additionally the metal seemed to be fused to their bodies. He also saw and felt that the enemy was strong, individually they could fight 2 or 3 of his soldiers and win. But right now, his men seemed to overwhelm them with sheer number and brute strength.

He also remembered that as soon as he was sure that the enemy leader or officer was dead, it suddenly got up and exploded sending those nearest it flying in a concussive wave, all the while shouting _'I am one with the Machine-God!'_. And the only reason he survived was that there were 2 men in front of him and they took most of the brunt of the blast. After that encounter they retreated from the Eastern Gate as it was firmly taken by the enemy a few hours later. They were driven back to the 2nd fortification wall that housed most of the commerce and the distribution line of the water supply for the whole city. It was also the main headquarters of the city garrison. From outside, their enemy strengthened their positions and cut them off from the outside, curiously, they had not deployed any siege weapons nor they do not seem to have fielded any that seemed similar to them. He was still contemplating on what he can do when a soldier stepped up to him and saluted.

"Sir, our enemy are gathering at our doorstep."

The Magistrate sighed dejectedly, "So, it has begun again. Do they not offer parley?"

"None so far sir, they have only taken potshots of the tower. And our archers are exchanging shots with them."

"Stop them, they waste our arrows by sending it to the enemy. Have the 4th Division relieve the garrison, gods know they deserved a rest after being decimated holding the northern gates."

"As you will sire."

Before the soldier can even leave though, another soldier came rushing through and saluted.

"Sir! An envoy of the enemy has arrived, additionally sir, they brought siege engines with them now."

 _'Bugger'_ the Magistrate shook his head in frustration and shouldered his weapon. They made their way towards one of the battlements on the gate to see the envoy and the arrayed siege works against them. Along the way he looked at the state of his soldiers, they were still fresh, some have been pulled out of sentry duty and others pulled out of the militia. He had sent out riders prior to the alarm and then another batch when it seemed evident that the first gate would have fallen. He was a bit emboldened when he saw his men were going about their work, keeping busy and arraying weapons, and building siege works of their own. Probably as an answer to those arrayed outside, well, since the 2nd gate was already fortified then he could at least delay them until reinforcements he requested arrives.

The Magistrate soon reached the top of the battlement, but he noticed the silence of those that manned the towers and was able to see the enemy lined up against them.

He soon understood their silence, a veritable wall of blood red robes as far as he can see was gathered before him. The moat was the only thing keeping them away and stopping them from converging on the 2nd wall, but it was a sight too befuddling to comprehend. They easily numbered 5,000 men and according to the previous reports, there are armies also gathered on the other gates except the southern gate, which seemed to have escaped this deluge of men. From the center, he could see an angel with individually feathered wings and covered with black plate armor, flanked by two officers that were also robed in red, but have distinctive helmets that are very much different from their peers. Like a centurion, they stood behind the Angel as it waited for him, he was still scrutinizing the Angel when it suddenly spoke in a loud voice.

 _ **"IS THERE NO ONE HERE TO PARLAY WITH!?"**_

 _'Bugger, that would be me then huh?',_ he stepped forward from his line of men and shouted in reply, " **Aye!** I am the Magistrate and de-facto commander of the City Guards. What is it that you wish?"

""I wish to speak with you face to face, and on that note you have my word that you will not be harmed if you lower your drawbridge and let me come across to speak with you."

A moment of contemplation and the Magistrate gave a small nod, the drawbridge to the 2nd gate lowered and finally gave passage across the moat. The Angel flapped its wings once and hovered or floated a few inches of the ground and moved forward the gate. His 2 guards stayed where they were as the Angel and the Magistrate met on the gate. As he approached the human's mind raced, the enemy's commander is a sentient Angel, a summon that is utilized by the Slane Theocracy and the Roble Holy Kingdom. But for it to appear before him and exude such a frightening aura, he could almost feel his knees buckle in fright. He was not able to notice it when he first saw him, but this Angel had black plate armor, but white light seemed to dance within giving the appearance of white stripes appearing then disappearing in random places.

 _"Greetings, I am General Bardiel, Commander of the 3rd Legion under the banner of the Warmaster Sammael~."_

 _'Warmaster? What sort of title is that?'_ he cleared his throat to remove his nervousness and answered crisply, "I am Otto Rettenmaier, Magistrate of the Fortress City of E-Rantel."

The Angel took hold of its helmet and began to remove it, maybe due to anticipation or surprise, Otto looked on as he heard a hiss as if something pressurized was being opened and he finally saw the face of the Angel. Its face was angelic and its hair looked like very fine silver threads, but its eyes were cold and black and fearsome to look at, a face that have seen a thousand battles stood in front of him now.

 _"We have come to offer terms for your surrender Magistrate,"_ the Angel began, _"As you can see, our army far outnumbers yours, is stronger than yours and considering we have not deployed our most terrible weapons at the moment, would eventually overwhelm yours. Our Lord and Master does not wish further bloodshed, but he wishes his intentions to be clear to you. He wishes you to surrender this city for his use, this will be the first step on their ascension to this world. You will be granted safe passage back to any city you wish, but this does not extend the protection to the city that you will make your way to. You may also change your allegiance and serve my Lord, thus eliminating the need for you to vacate your homes and making your way to a neighboring city~."_

"... and if we refuse your terms?"

Bardiel casually raised his left hand and snapped his fingers, from afar a loud 'BOOM' came from the direction of the first gate. A whistling sound came after that and a section of the wall directly behind the Angel exploded violently. With fire and flame it destroyed the wall as the Magistrate's eyes registered his fear and surprise, if a single snap from his fingers could bring a wall down, what hope do they have of fighting against them.

 _"You will be destroyed. All the leniency we have shown will be all for naught~."_

The sea of red parted and out marched their wounded, their soldiers that were cut-off and then 6 out of the 7 riders he had sent out. Despair gripped him, it seems only one of the messengers managed to escape, but who could it be?

 _"We have deemed to allow the last rider escape since he seemed to have the most recent information on your situation. And so we allowed him to go forth and call an army to liberate this city~."_

So that means, they have been capable of stopping all of the messengers but chose not to interfere with the last one because they wish to bring forth more of the army of the Kingdom down on them. Whoever commands this army wishes to fight, but what about the civilians-

 _"Ah yes, the civilians. Well, we do not touch them for they do not take up arms against us. You can be assured, as mandated by our Lord and Master. Civilians are to be unharmed however, should they take up arms then they would be considered combatants and subject to the rules of engagement~."_

Otto Rettenmaier looked down and kept a grim visage, he turned to the frightening Angel and sighed, "I would change my allegiance, if only to spare my soldiers more bloodshed. But I am only a Magistrate and I do not have the sway of the people, we cannot persuade them to join the banner of your Lord, nor force them to do so. Additionally, there are those of my men who would be loyal to the Kingdom, are they assured safe passage too?"

 _"Please be assured, as mentioned if they do not take arms against our flag then they would not be slain. You are also assured that if there are those who do not wish to join and fight under the glorious flag of our Warmaster, then they have my word that they would not be harmed, but they must surrender a piece of their equipment of our own choosing as war plunder. Is that fair~?"_

"Indeed it is, let me speak to those who are movers in this city and I shall give you my reply within the day," Otto turned to leave and bowed his head slightly, "I bid you farewell for now."

 _"Fortuna favorae,"_ Bardiel also bowed and replaced his helmet with an audible hiss as he watched the Magistrate retreat towards the gate and the heavy iron doors sealing shut once more. Returning back to his own battle lines he walked over to a group of Magos and gestured for them that he has a message, "Magos of the Vox, please send this report at once."

 _'Spoke with Magistrate of Fortress City E-Rantel, will give decision about terms of surrender within 2400 hours.'  
'Skitarii Legio Tria in full complement, skirmish phase completed.'  
'Recommend mobilization of Panzergruppen Kleist and releasing of heavy weapons support.'  
'Preparing assault phase at your command.'_

With his report sent, Bardiel gripped the handles of his weapons and waited for the return of the Magistrate.

Back at the Magistrate's Headquarters, he quickly marched up to his most trusted Captains and ordered them to bring specific men that would represent the remaining backbone of the city. From the Merchants Guild, Adventurers Guild, and the Mages Guild, they were all gathered to speak with him and offer him counsel in regards to the terms set forth by the enemy at their gates. Within a few minutes the representatives of the numerous Guilds walked in attendance as Magistrate Rittenmaier sat alone contemplating in front of his table.

From the Merchants Guild, Baldo Lauffray, a provisions merchant came up since the Guildmaster of the Merchants in E-Rantel is currently in the capital. Baron Cheneko, the estate where they have hidden the magical artifact also came up to them, he has elected himself to be the representative of the Noble Faction. Likewise the Adventurers and Magicians Guild are represented by their own respective master, Theo Rakheshir and Pluton Ainzach.

"Welcome to you all, I wish I could bring you more cheer, but I only bring nothing except our terms of surrender."

"WHAT!?" Baron Cheneko shouted in rage, "How dare you accept such words from them? The Crown will not stand for this!"

The Magistrate sighed, "The Crown would certainly not standby for this, but have you recently seen the forces arrayed against us outside? And I am pretty sure you are aware of that large gaping hole on our 2nd wall. Their General- a completely sentient Angel if I may add- snapped his fingers and blew it to smithereens!"

"Now, if you have any counter against such magic and their overbearing numbers I suggest you say it now Baron-" Otto Rittenmaier was standing up now in his frustration and anger as this dim-witted man decided to elect himself as the Noble Faction leader. Just in time for his brother to be actually at the capital now, he didn't just had to deal with the army outside, he had to handle fools like this one too.

"I beseech you both to be calm," Theo Rakhshir raised his hand in a comforting manner and gestured to the Magistrate, "Let us then hear first the terms before we offer our opinion of it. I am pretty sure we would be duly enlightened after your explanation dear Otto."

Otto returned to his seat and clasped his hands in front of him, "They have offered safe passage to all those that do not bear arms against them, so far, I have not seen any civilian that was killed by them, frightened maybe. They also offered the choice to fight along side them or not, if we do not wish to do so, then we are free to go to any city within the Re-Estize Kingdom. They also said that all items that will be brought out of the city will need to be inspected, they claim that they will be taking items made by the Gods- that is all they have told me."

"So, they do not plan to plunder the city? What would they be doing here?"

"On that note, the Angel gave me an insight," Otto turned to Ainzach, "He said that this would be one of the stepping stones that would ensure the arrival of the Supreme Beings. They are commanded by a- a Warmaster-"

"A what?" the guildmaster of the Adventurers frowned as he interrupted, "Is that similar to a Martial Lord maybe?"

"It could be, nevertheless, to be able to command such powerful beings, it is most certain we are dealing with a very powerful individual."

The Baron stood up and walked over to the window, from where they were ensconced he could see the gaping hole on their wall and beyond a solid sea of red robes. He then turned to the gathered men and said, "I will take the remaining of the Noble Faction and retreat to the Capital. If what they said is true and they intend to honor it then I assume the unoccupied City gate is where they were planning to let us go?"

Magistrate Otto nods his head, "I would assume so, there is no other way to think otherwise. Additionally, that way has the best roads going to the Capital."

"Its too easy-"

"Maybe they ARE making it easy for us-"

"-or making sure we do not stray to the Baharuth or the Theocracy."

"Since the Baron has made his intentions clear," Baldo interjected, "I might as well clarify the position of the Merchants, we would come with you to clarify the coverage of this reprieve and would need to ensure those that would choose to remain here will still continue to ply their trade."

Ainzach also stood up and clasped his hands behind his back, "Theo and I will remain, not only to ensure the safety of our members who have initially fought and managed to survive the first skirmishes, but also to remain and see the situation on what the invaders will be doing to this city," at this words Theo nodded in affirmative.

"Then it is set- the Noble Faction will retreat to the Capital and gather strength while half of the Merchant will remain together with the Adventurer and Magicians guild."

.

A few hours later

Bardiel floated a few inches of the ground as he saw Magistrate Rettenmaier come out of the smaller gate followed by a few 'well-dressed' men. They looked fearful and he held back his contempt with such cowards as is expected from him by his Master. He approached them and he noticed the look of exasperation on the Magistrate's face, nevertheless he gave a small bow and again removed his helmet with an audible 'hiss'. The men gathered before him gasped as they saw his already intimidating figure amplified with his blank eyes.

 _"Greetings Magistrate, I trust you have favorable news~?"_

"Apologies General, but as previously mentioned. I do not hold sole command of this city," he gestured to the men behind him, "These men constitute the representatives of every aspect of our society here," he pointed to a brown haired man with a beard and was dressed like a merchant, "Baldo Lauffray, representative of the Merchant guild," he then pointed to a violet robed individual that was carrying a staff, "Theo Rakheshir, Guildmaster of the Magician's Guild," and he lastly presented a white haired man with a powerful shoulder and curly mustache and beard, "... and lastly, Pluton Ainzach, Guildmaster of the Adventurer's Guild."

"I am Theo Rakheshir," the guildmaster of the Mages Guild was gaunt and seemed necrotic with his pale skin, yet there was fire in his eyes that was not tempered with his age, "Permit me to ask, but some of our guild members and those of the Adventurers Guild who are not part of the City Guards fought and perished in the defense of the city. Since we have taken up arms, will we not be encompassed by the terms of surrender?"

 _"You have our assurance, that you will not be harmed since you have done so for the purposes of defending yourselves however, if you choose to leave the city then we would need to take a piece of your equipment as part of war plunder~"_

"Understood," Theo looked at Ainzach and both nodded knowingly, the magical item with the 8th Tier magic was outside the city and hidden in a noble's house. They have already sent messages to those guarding it to take it back to the capital. There, the Magicians Guild can analyze it and hopefully, harness the incredible magic that laid within.

The representative of the Merchant Guild then approached and bowed, "Greetings, I am Baldo Lauffray, I would just like to dissipate the fear my colleagues have. We, who have been merchants for all our lives wishes not to lose everything. Yet, to the victor go the spoils, we only ask that we are permitted to bring a fraction of our wealth-"

 _"Take it all, our Master has no need for such riches."_

Baldo's eyes widened, a conquering army plundered everything. From the wealth of the city treasury, the merchant's coffers and wares, including wives and slaves. But this army seemed to be dismissing all of their advantages including sure material wealth in front of them.

 _"However, we will need to still inspect each and every item that you possess as only the items from the Gods holds true value in their eyes~. Is that favorable?"_

 _'Hmm, not like we own something from the Gods,'_ the merchant's head bowed respectfully and said, "That is most satisfactory honorable General."

Bardiel opened his arms and stood up to his full height, he then turned to his army, **"SKITARII LEGIO TRIA! WE HAVE THE CITY!** **GLORY TO AINZ OOAL GOWN AND TO THE WARMASTER!"**

stomp **"GLORY!"**

stomp **"GLORY!"**

stomp **"GLORY!"**

The sound of ten thousand boots slamming down on the ground at the same time with every utterance of the word 'glory', the clanging of weapons and the acknowledging answer brought an immense feeling of fear and awe at the gathered soldiers of the Kingdom and the 4 men standing behind the Angel. They could not comprehend the manner upon which they would have fought if they decided to duke it out. At the very least, they have their lives and that is enough for now.

In a few hours, the more affluent citizens of the Fortress city of E-Rantel would vacate their homes and disperse towards the other cities. Some merchants and most of the peasantry would remain since they would not be able to afford uprooting from where they live. They could only hope their new masters would be lenient and would not drag their already pitiful existence to the ground. As the exodus of the citizens began the innumerable soldiers of the Warmaster began hoisting 8 pointed star flags with the flag of Nazarick symbolizing the territory of the Sorcerer Kingdom on every high point and every tower. Proclaiming the power and the de-facto ruler of the Fortress City.

As the citizenry moved around them, Bardiel and 4 Magos walked to the center of the city and looked at the deserted citadel. This was supposed to be the last strong point and defensible area for this city, they were looking around the grounds as the Angel turned to the gathered Magos and said, "We would proceed as planned, is there any hindrances that you foresee Magos of the Administratum."

"Certainly General, the vacating of position, especially on the administrative side of things since this is a city will be daunting. Provided we have assistance from the Elder Liches on administering the city we propose to streamline the workings of this bureaucracy."

"Indeed," General Bardiel bent down as he inspected the large gates into the citadel, "Magos of the Vox, how soon can we begin the construction of the Astronomic Array?"

A one-eyed Magos stepped forward and bowed, "It will depend on the survey we will conduct on the viability of this location to the Array we will construct. Of course, this structure must also be supported by the columns and minarets of this citadel, initial scans are promising however, we would need additional time to ensure a more permanent facility can be erected."

"Can we do a temporary one? Like a relay station perhaps? The **[Message]** spell according to a reliable source from our Warmaster can be compromised and it is important we do not suffer that fate."

"I assure you, we can erect arrays and countermeasures against scrying and viewing magic which will be sufficient for the requirements of the Supreme Being until such time we can erect the Array."

Bardiel nods his head, "Magos of the Armaments, can we build forges in this city and begin the rearmament of those that have switched allegiances?"

"General, we have Skitariis and heralds proclaiming the training and equipment coverage for those willing to fight, including the stipend we would give them," a Magos with two swords on its back bowed and unraveled a roll of parchment, "However, we would be experiencing delays in the disbursements of the armaments since we need to consolidate how much of the old gear is left and how many can be re-purposed or just simply melted down to make a new one."

"How long do you need Magos?"

"According to estimates from the Archmagos of the Armaments, a veritable 1 week to consolidate those information and another week for confirmation of this information and finally the disbursement of equipment. Additionally, unforeseen delay can happen since we are still scheduled to reinforce this city, in particular the walls against magical incursion."

The General sighed, "Then make it so, our Warmaster might not be happy with the delays. Administratum Magos, will there be any issues with the resources and processing of raw materials?"

Checking his own parchment, the Magos in question withdrew a quill and began writing down on his paper, "We have a surplus of lumber as supplied by the Forest and its extension, Lord Mare has conjured his magic and replenishes the trees where we gather our materials. Stone are transported by golems from the nearby shale and stone mine at the foot of the Azerlisia Mountains."

"What of the status of the fleet?"

"They are currently holding orbit above Nazarick, the Stellarum Nex however, does not leave the side of Lord Sammael," the Magos of the Navigators looked down at his own parchment and sighed, "According to latest intel, the Warmaster is scheduled to go back to the Empire and the Trading House."

"Very well, keep us posted."

All 4 Magos saluted and separated to go ahead with their duties, Bardiel sighed forlornly and shook his head as he caressed his weapon, "I didn't even get to do any scourging done."

.

"So, what do you think will happen now to our fair city?"

"Who knows? With the Kingdom relinquishing this city to the enemy."

3 men sat forlornly in front of a bar as their bartender served them their drinks. He also looked sadly outside as red-robed soldiers walked around outside.

"Will you be leaving too?"

"We can't, our land is here. Plus, we have no money to leave."

"Same here, sure is nice to be a noble."

They were still contemplating and nursing their drinks when suddenly the door opened and six fully armed red-robed soldiers stepped inside. The temperature of the plummeted as an uneasy silence gripped the bartender and his 3 patrons. 2 more persons marched inside that was dressed in the same manner as the soldiers who came in first. They walked up to the bar and it gripped all men present with a renewed fear. Fear of oppression, bodily harm, or death, they do not know. A fact their new masters would certainly have in store for them.

"I am Magos Rakshir," the one who spoke removed his mask and they saw it had a human face, but one of his eye was different from the other, it was metallic and his voice was too even for a human, "May I know the name of the patron of this bar?"

"T-that would be me sir, my name is Tom," the bartender raised up his hand, "How can I help you?"

The Magos nodded to his bodyguard and they moved forward, "I will need a sample of your beverages as a part of our recording system."

"O-ok."

Hurriedly, the bartender got the drinks he has on hand and the Magos began tasting them one by one. A few whispered comments could be heard as all humans looked on at this strange man tasting every single drink in front of him.

 _"Hmm, slight burning sensation on the trachea-"_ the Magos gave a small cough and swilled the drink in his glass.

 _"-bitter at the front and a hint of sweetness on the end-"_ he tasted another one and nods sagely.

 _"-taste like diesel at the end."_ Rakshir actually heaved and smacked his lips.

 _"urgh- my intestines have been changed to the specification of the Machine God but- but what is this swill!?"_ his pale face got paler as he puts the glass down.

Magos Rakshir began making notes on his roll of parchment, he took out a single gold piece from inside his robes and offered it to the bartender, "Thank you for your cooperation and your service, I trust this will suffice as payment."

The bartender looked down at the gold piece and quickly snatched it up, he bit into it and found it soft and malleable just like real pure gold. He nodded imperceptibly as the Magos turned to the 3 patrons on the bar.

"Greetings, I would need to ask a few questions."

A burly man at the back snorted, "Whatever the hell for?"

"It is a necessary procedure we must do to prepare the city for a progressive leap forward, we need to know if you wish to stay or work here. Incidentally, we would not force conscription and merely wish to know how many citizens wish to be ruled by us.

"Not much I presume?" a thin wizard looking man took a drink from his glass and smiled, "Considering almost all of the populace is afraid of you guys."

"Indeed that is the case," the Magos replied with a smile of his own, "Regardless of the reasons we will still need to know if you wish to go or stay in E-Rantel."

A poor looking sod also grunted in response, "We're dirt poor, how in the world can we even leave this place?"

"You are poor yet you while away your day inside a bar?" the Magos' mouth suddenly opened and an awkward silence gripped everyone. Sure humans gripe every single day for any transgressions they feel in regarsd to their person, but this takes the cake.

"Please provide your profession," the Magos said seemingly unperturbed.

"Carpenter."

"Blacksmith."

"Poet."

Magos Rakshir continued writing in his parchment as the 3 gave their personal information to him. He then proceeded to show them a map of the city, he pointed to the nobles district and said, "You are to return to your homes, gather your family and belongings and report to the nobles district."

"B-but why?"

"We will be demolishing your homes to make way for the manufactoras that will be constructed," he raised his hands in a calming manner as he saw their hesitant faces, "I assure you that this is only temporary. You will be assigned a noble's house to be your temporary dwelling and if you do not wish to stay then you may vacate the assigned house to you and just return back to Administratum building to be assigned a new home. I assure you though that a noble's house would be more than a fit for 2 to 3 families for the time being."

"You mean to tell me we will live in a noble's house?"

"You are correct human," Magos Rakshir replaced his metal mask and bowed slightly, "With the nobles leaving, you would not need to be afraid anymore of social status. Keep in mind that we would require carpenters, blacksmith of all kind to assist in construction projects that our Kingdom will be establishing. You will be properly compensated for it. I bid you all farewell."

"Excuse me," the burly looking man and the most sceptical of the 3 stood up and raised his hand, "Why are you doing this? And what are your plans for us?"

A full minute passed before the Magos answered, "I do not know, but our Supreme Master has brought you something that you will never get from your noble masters."

"And that is?"

"Freedom of choice," the soldiers marched out and the Magos quickly followed them.

His last words lingered around them as they looked at each other, unsure of what to do next. The burly looking man sets his jaw and walked towards the door, he was the carpenter of the 3 and quickly went out the door and shuts it behind him. The blacksmith followed him soon after as the poet sat back down in front of the bartender and sighed.

"You know I can't help but wonder on that last thing that the Magos told us."

Bartender pockets the gold piece and serves another drink to his sole remaining patron, "You mean that thing about freedom of choice?"

The poet nodded, "Actually, it sounds to me like he wanted to say they brought us _'hope'_."

But that would be totally absurd. Right?

.

.

Elven Kingdom

.

A few hours after the arrival of Nazarick's envoys and the following disappearance of the Elven King, the strained peace and stability that he held devolved into open revolt and civil war. With his numerous progenitors over the centuries, they have increased not just in number, skill and pride, but with greed, resentment and a strong sense of superiority complex wedged in-between. With the particularly large void of power their father have left, the siblings from the eldest to the youngest began to devolve into in fighting and struggling to retake the main Elven Citadel now held by the Sorcerer Kingdom and its legion of red-robed soldiers. The situation is not helped by the mistrust, contempt and bitterness of the Royal Family against each other that all efforts are mostly standalone and not a concerted effort to succeed.

It is with this scene that a silver haired High Elf walked towards the stables with four black guards in tow. All four surrounded him like sentinels as they scanned their surroundings for any presence of the enemy. Though armored and fully armed their footsteps were but a whisper, their movements as fluid as the flowing waters. From afar, the sound of battle, blades and screams of the dying resounded.

Prince Caradhas, the eldest offspring of the Elven King looked grim. His father was reportedly attacked by unknown heralds of a neighboring Elven Kingdom and was presumed dead. They reached an open terrace and he caught a glimpse of the main citadel, numerous 30 foot steel crosses could be seen standing on the ground beside the western wall crushing it and throwing rubble with bits and pieces of the wall around the area. It fell from the heavens and destroyed the main battlements and surrounding walls of the citadel. Even from this distance, his Elven eyes could see that numerous doors were opened on the sides and from them poured out an army cloaked in red and armed with various weaponry. Even with the Black Guard protecting the King, they would be hard-pressed against such an army. In fact, he doubted there were still Black Guards making a hold inside the Citadel.

For all intents and purposes, their father is most likely dead.

The army that poured forth from the white cross was like a flood of blood, it quickly spread and took hold of the Citadel. Unyielding,immensely quick and efficient in all aspects. From where they were walking, he could see the great flags they were raising. A maroon flag with an 8 pointed star in the middle. He shook his head, his other _'more rational'_ siblings are probably gathering their own Kabals and preparing to repel their enemy. As head of the leading 6 Kabals in the Hidden City, he should rally his men quickly and gather all he can around him. From a side alley, 2 groups of the same number approached as they all nodded knowingly at each other.

" _Ai muindor Caradhas,_ " a blond haired, pony tailed elf bowed his head, "It is good to see you brother."

"Tyladhras," he puts his open right palm on his left chest and then puts it on his brother's shoulder as they approached each other, "It is also good to see you, and you as well Araghas."

The last Elven Prince had black hair and violet eyes, he was the offspring of the Elven King and a particularly powerful dark elf warrior. A mask covers the lower half of his face as a savage burn marred his beautiful face, a scar from engaging a fire drake when they attempted to hunt with their father before. While his brothers carried the traditional green and white themed armors, he mostly carried gray and black scale armor.

 _"Ai muindor Caradhas,_ " his muffled voice was raspy, but his eyes were clear and sharp. All the brothers were armed with the specialist armaments of their race. Caradhas had a long spear, Tyladhras had a long bow, while Araghas carried a pair of dagger-like short swords.

"Tell me Araghas, is it truly confirmed that father fell?"

The youngest of the 3 nods his head, "Its true, the Black Guards that were with him that managed to survive reported to me directly. It is by my word that I sent for reinforcements that mobilized the home guards."

"But who are these attackers that have overwhelmed father? Did he not attack the Theocracy before and got that human warrior as her concubine?"

"True, father is strong, both in brute strength, skill, mana, and magic. But the Black Guards that retreated to my position spoke of Angels and twin Elven children that carried the Mark of the Gods. They were beautiful, powerful, charming and carried even surpassed our Father's power... their eyes are the same."

"You mean, the symbol of the Perfect Union?"

Araghas nodded as he led the way towards a maze of streets and fortifications, the sound of battle was getting farther away as they maneuvered left and right through dizzying speed. Though they conversed casually, they were running full speed, vaulting over obsctacles, going around, lithely jumping footfalls and crumbling debris.

The enemy brought war machines never before seen on their lands. It spouted fire from its large cylindrical tube, while smaller tubes spew out death wherever its pointed. Every spell it used accompanied the sound of thunder, and every time it did a swathe of his kin are slain. Based on the reports, the Black Guards defending the King had died to the last man, now they only have the Home Guardians commanded by Prince Tyladhras, the Eldar Spears commanded by Prince Caradhas, and the rest of the surviving Black Guards by Araghas.

All 3 who were the eldest sons of the Elven King felt bitter about their father's indifference towards them, but his loss still felt like barbs wrapped around their hearts. They were Elves, and their feelings were too intense and far too much for humans to bear.

Still, it was expected that their many siblings would split apart and fight themselves off with their own Kabals. At the very least, the 3 eldest sons held the largest Kabals that is beginning to fight back at the enemy. The 3 brothers turned into an open courtyard and abruptly stopped.

A black plate armored angel stood in the middle of the courtyard, the Elven soldiers with them arrayed in a line behind the 3 Elven Princes as the Angel twirled his deadly scythe. As they were contemplating their next move, two dark Elven Children jumped down from the roof as the young boy gave them a 'V' sign for victory, his smile was as bright and energetic as the sun, while his sister stood behind him nervously. She would have looked adorable except that all 3 brothers knew that they were the enemy that killed off their father.

"Yo!" Aura greeted as Leliel spun his weapon at the ready, "You old guys got some time?"

The 3 brothers looked at each other, though the gesture was playful they knew it was different otherwise.

" _Muindros, hurin an maeth_ "

"Aww," Aura's eyes drooped, "Your speaking gibberish again... can you even understand me?"

Caradhas stepped forward as Araghas and Tyladhras flanked him on the side and behind, "Of course _druiichi_ , what is it that you want?"

"Nothing much, since we already have old wrinkly dude with us, the Supreme Beings are probably gutting him alive now-" her voice was playful and melancholic and all 3 could not believe the ease upon which she spoke of their father's fate, "-but we have to make safe this city once and for all, of course under the banner of the Great Tomb of Nazarick."

 _'Great Tomb?'_

"If you can give us proof of my father's death-" he turned to his two brothers and gathered them at the front as his equal, "nay- show us his head, then we will have words."

Aura turned to Mare and she noticeably nods her head, the young elf girl puts two fingers on her temple. A void-like [ **Gate** ] opened near him and a few minutes later a red robed soldier steps out carrying a severed head by the hair.

All 3 of them looked at the severed head of their father, its eyes were unseeing and lifeless, they could see that a savage wound opened the jugular and the clean cut wound below to sever it from the rest of the body was made postmortem.

They looked at each other and nodded knowingly, then turned back to the Elven Children with the black armored Angel.

"What is it you would have us do?"

The black armored angel's body relaxed as he puts the two handed scythe and rested it on his shoulder, "We require only 1 thing. Submit to the will of the Supreme Beings, serve them loyally and faithfully, and love them forevermore."

Araghas stepped up and bowed a bit, "Fealty on Elves is forevermore, our long life binds us in eternal time and our severity of this bond is... quite painful for mere mortal hearts."

At this words Aura smiled even more and approached them closely, "Then you would not need to fear, our Supreme Beings surpass those of the Gods. Immortal and certainly more powerful than your Elven King and the 6 Gods could ever be."

The 3 brothers looked at each other nervously, "May we meet them?"

"That can certainly be arranged," Aura cups her chin in thought, "However, you must prove your loyalty first."

"How?"

Leliel strikes the end of his scythe to the ground and said, "We have the perfect test for you. This will not only consolidate your place as the ruling monarchs, this will cement your place as the favored by the Supreme Beings."

Opening another [ **Gate** ] red-robed soldiers began marching out as they led prisoners of war, prisoners that were awfully familiar with the 3 brothers. He could recognize them all, their siblings who commanded smaller Kabals were captured and brought before them. They were brought down to their knees as Caradhas, Tyladhras, and Araghas looked with their faces carefully twisted in veiled horror and pity.

"These are the instigators of the rebellion against the newly established monarchy," Aura began pleasantly with a smile on her face, "We have erected flags denoting our allegiance and ruling monarchs when they decided to assault our newly designated citadel."

The captured Elves all looked at their eldest brothers in despair, their Kabals were mobilized in defense of the citadel, yet when they were engaged against this enemy. Their formations and battle prowess meant naught a thing. For all their finesse and hardiness in battle, none can match Nazarick's war machine, both in a protracted, or a war of attrition. With their Capital lost to their race, they have no choice, but to fight for there is no retreat when your refuge has been taken from you.

"It has been decided to have the insurrectionists sentenced to death."

If they were affected, the 3 brothers did not show it.

"-and the ones who will carry out the executions are you 3."

Araghas drew his black blades and began to approach his captured siblings, "As the Supreme Beings command."

"Wait!" one voice of reason quipped as Tyladhras, "Please reconsider this order, we shall serve you faithfully without fail, but let us do so in the fullness of our hearts. I believe they merely acted on the natural reaction of a being that is being subjugated. Though feebly we do cry against such fate, rather than bow one's head and succumb."

"Lord Momonga said 1 of you would have done that without question," Aura pointed to Araghas, "-and 1 of you would oppose such a plan-"immediately pointing to Tyladhras.

Aura nods her head and their captured siblings were marched back to the opened [ **Gate** ].

"For this you have passed, you will follow me, the Supreme Beings would wish to speak with you now," she beckoned for the brothers to follow them as the 3 brothers waved to their guards to stand down. Walking up to the dimension gate, they were apprehensive and nervous. The one's who conquered their city was inviting them to their main base, but what can the 3 brothers lose that they have not lost yet. If their intention was to kill them, they all thought that why waste through all this effort. As they passed the threshold of the gate, all 3 of them gasped as they found a different world on the other side. A world of metal, fire and strongly smelled the scent of war. This was one of the great hangars in the belly of the great airship of the Warmaster himself, they were taken to the staging area where they were mustering his forces on board the _Stellarum Nex_. Soldiers in red hoods formed ranks 10 abreast and 10 deep per group, the 3 Elven Princes were urged forward as they stood transfixed at the forming masses in front of them.

Their gazes focused on every object, every artifact, everything that they have not seen or not any knowledge of.

 _'So, those 'cross' objects were what they used to invade our lands... unorthodox, but quite clever,'_ Caradhas thought as they passed one of the white crosses now full to the brim with soldiers. Maroon robed Magis sealed the doors as they began to position it for immediate deployment. He knew that one cross represent an army sized unit, a number similar to the ones that have seized the Elven Citadel so easily.

Bitterly, he recalled the initial confusion of the battle as the enemy easily subdued and laid low their capital. The same way that monstrous treant drove them from their first home centuries before.

"What are they going to do with those troops on those transports?"

One of their escorts spoke in a gravelly voice, but continued to urge them forward, "They are preparing the transports for immediate deployment, our Warmaster will be opening 3 fronts soon and time is of the essence."

"So, the 'Warmaster' who had subjugated our realm plans to attack and start a war?" Caradhas brow creased, "That's something unheard of? How can you possibly wage war on 3 nations at the same time?"

There was a chuckle at the front as Aura looked back at them and said as a matter of factly, "The same way your realm had fallen, with overwhelming might, number and power."

They turned into another entry point and were led to the above deck where a large winged Angel was flanked by two more angels that were hunched over a tactical map. Apprehensively, the 2 Elven children looked back at them and said, "The one in the middle is Lord Sammael, I believe I do not need to stress the need for respect in addressing him."

Caradhas nodded, if this Angel could command such an army, just how powerful is he?

Reaching the Supreme Being, they all bowed respectfully as Aura and Mare introduced the 3 Elven Princes. "My Lord Sammael, may I introduce the 3 Princes. Eldest sons of the former Elven King, heir to his Throne."

The eldest of the 3 bowed down in respect, the aura and feeling of this being in front of them commanded such respect, fear and power they cannot help but think a Martial Ruler has appeared before them.

"My lord, I am Caradhas, Eldest of the Eldar kin. I command the Eldar War Host."

The second brother with the dark green armor also bowed down beside him, "I am Tyladhras, my lord, 2nd to the Eldest. I command the Home Guards."

"-and I am Araghas, my Lord," the last of the 3 and the only visible dark elf of the 3 spoke in a husky voice, "I command the special forces of the Eldar. The Black Guards."

"It is nice to meet you, I do hope you come and look at my tactical map display."

They approached him and they focused on the tactical map displayed in front of them, there were moving lights on it as the Supreme Being analyzed it methodically. They all frowned as they saw it being familiar territory, how could they not know it, they were looking at the old Elven Capital at the middle of the Forest of Tob. In the middle was a black blight that probably represented the 'rogue' treant that have uprooted them from their old home. Caradhas looked at Sammael and saw his golden eyes focused on him, could it be they are planning to attack that cursed tree? Impossible, not even adamantite adventurers can lay low its branches on a partial awakening. It was said that the 13 Heroes were not able to defeat it and only managed to weaken it to force it back into a meditative state. How is it possible for them to contemplate such a foolish move? A waste of men, material, money, and time?

"You are correct Caradhas," the Supreme Being said to him, "I am planning to cleanse your old home of this blight, not only will this consolidate your power. This will also allow the Elven people to prosper by going back to your old home, to your roots if you must."

Puzzled, they looked at him as he went in front of another terminal and pushed a few buttons, "Based on my research, it is essential for the Eldar race to have a peaceful place to commune with nature and to remove all worries to proliferate breeding."

Tyladhras blushed as Araghas spluttered in response. Only Caradhas seemed unaffected until he stuttered in response, "E-excuse me, I did not quite understand that one bit? Breeding?"

"Yes, you heard me correctly. I am concerned that the Eldar breed quite slowly. Compared to humans who carry their young for 9 months and then wean them to adulthood, elves grow differently from them," the Fallen pointed to Mare and Aura, "For example, my favored twins are both aged at 76 years old. Too old to be called a child in human society, but certainly very young for an Elf. Am I understood?"

"Clearly my Lord."

"Now, I plan to encompass the Elven Kingdom as one of the vassal states of the Sorcerer Kingdom. I wish for you to be self-sustaining, have a wealthy economy, and a strong military force however, all of that is out of the question right now."

"With all due respect my lord, you have subjugated us and laid low our defenses in a day. Slain our most powerful King and have the 3 of us at your mercy, we cannot understand why such a focus on our race when we are almost beaten on all sides by our human enemies."

"Aha!" Sammael wagged his gauntlet finger at Caradhas, "I am a Supreme Being, ruling your race and uplifting it is but a small part of my overall objective. Though I will not interfere with your rule, I ask that you do it with my representatives. I ask that you work hand in hand in restoring the glory of the Eldar to its former luster."

Tyladhras nods his head, if his analysis is true then they have already met those 'representatives'.

"If we will pledge you our loyalty, then it is for life," Caradhas took out a glowing scroll and opened it, the 2 Angel Generals grabbed the hilt of their swords, but the Prince raised his hands and assured them. "Rest assured, this scroll is but the instrument that we will pledge our fealty."

"Our powers are meager compared to you Supreme Being, but let us be of use to you," Caradhas's left hand glowed as he touched the end of the scroll and it lit up with numerous runes, "As the Eldest of the Eldar Kingdom, I, Caradhas engrave my name on this scroll to affirm our fealty to the Supreme Being. May the blessings of the Moon and Mother Nature grant us this day, and for days to come. You have my sword!"

Tyladhras stepped forward and raised his spear, "... and my Spear!"

"And my daggers," Araghas approached and bowed, "... are yours Supreme Being."

"Then it is settled," Sammael gave a small smile, "We shall cleanse this filth out of your homeland."

.

A few hours later, Sammael sat on his iron throne and looked at the view screen in front of him. A large dead tree stood on the side of an old Elven city that now lie in ruins, its former glory gone with the battle that was previously waged here against this blighted entity left the city in a state of ruin and disrepair. On his side stood 3 of his Generals, while on the other the 3 Elven brothers also stood stock still. As the old city loomed into view, he leaned forward in his Throne and turned to his Angels.

"Baraqiel and Leliel, return to your respective ships. Once I have this monster in my grip I will not let go, but you must be quick in disposing of it."

Both Angels bowed respectfully, "Yes my Lord."

"Ramiel."

The blue armored general bowed, "My liege-"

"Protect me and this ship for any enemy that is about to die would certainly lash out. You will be joining me in the observatory together with our new vassals."

Caradhas also gestured the same, "We will follow you everywhere you may tread my Lord."

"Very good, you have your orders, go now."

With one last bow, Leliel and Baraqiel opened their wings and shot up into the sky, their flight trail went straight up then went separate ways. Both Angels landed on 2 ships following behind the Stellarum Nex, both gracefully landed near the bridge of the ship, walking inside amidst the saluting crew members they turned to their respective 2nd in command and gave the orders of the Supreme Being.

Back at the _'Stellarum Nex',_ Sammael was already walking the cobblestone pathway from the Cathedral towards the observatory. General Ramiel and the 3 Elven brothers trailing behind him.

"Ramiel, stay close to me. You will be my shield for this campaign."

The blue armored giant pounded his mailed chest, "It is an honor my Lord, incidentally, what spell will you be using to hold the enemy?"

 _"Spatia Obliquio."_

Much to the Elves puzzlement, the General gave a sigh of recognition and seemed to smile inside his helment.

In quick order they reached the observatory atop the prow of the ship by an eagles head

"My Lord," a red-robed magos genuflected towards Sammael as the screens show they have reached the old Elven Capital, "The _Heavenly Bolt_ and the _Night Haunter_ are maintaining synchronous flight with the _'Stellarum Nex'_ and currently reporting that the drop pods are all prepared and all guns are hot."

"Thank you Magos," the Fallen Angel took a sip from his goblet of wine and puts it down on his console, he turned away from it and began walking down from his throne on the control room of the Stellarum Nex, "Let us wake up this sleeping monstrosity and be done with this."

"At your command," the Magos turned back to the consoles and began issuing orders, "Vengeance rounds loaded and prepare to fire on our ' _Mark_ '."

A disemboweled voice rose up from the speakers, "Affirmative Magos."

 _"Warmaster, we are prepared to fire!"_

Sammael grinned and gathered power in his hands, _"Feuer Frei."_

At once a loud boom like thunder shook the 3 Elven brothers, from behind them they were unable to notice, but the once luscious garden turned into an array of battleship cannons that was firing salvo after salvo of their explosive rounds at the blighted tree. From behind, the guns of both the Heavenly Bolt and Night Haunter joined in. Although smaller than the Stellarum Nex, both ships carried weapons that could shoot out 8th-Tier Explosive Magic shells at any enemy. Fire rained from the heavens as the Elven Princes looked at the destruction in front of their eyes, the rotten trunk was giving way and fire was beginning to spread on its corrupted bark. Its thick branches were beginning to ember and the sky seemed to shatter at every explosion that was being sent downrange.

Suddenly, a loud roar came from the tree and a great upheaval of boulder and rocks was hurled towards the 3 ships.

"EVASIVE MANEUVERS! TURN TO PORT AND FIRE JUPITER GUNS!" Ramiel cried out to the bridge as Sammael kept silent, all the while concentrating on the gathered power before him.

The large ship obeyed without question and turned left, as it turned boulders and rocks as large as a 2-story house whizzed above their heads. The 3 ships separated, the flagship Stellarum Nex maintained a synchronous orbit around the tree while the 2 destroyers surged forward their cannons singing death and destruction. With a deep rumbling roar, the blighted tree finally awakens as more and more of its branches waved in the sun. The Elven Princes looked in horror at this.

A large tree, more than a 100 meters in height roared out into the heavens. A large gaping maw erupted on the base of its great trunk and six branches or it seemed roots for they were buried underground was raised and began a complex dance of 'whipper-snapper' to defend itself. The shells they were sending downrange were beginning to get swatted away and sometimes miss the target entirely.

"Hmm, pretty smart for a beast wouldn't you say Ramiel?"

"Indeed my Lord."

 _'Perhaps like our NPCs, the entities from the game are learning as well- although unlike this one who obviously succumbed to the passing of time,"_ Sammael mused as he saw another salvo swatted away. One of the shells was suddenly redirected towards them and his General cried out to his Master.

"My Lord!" a golden hexagon shield blocked the shell and not a piece of the ship was touched, "The enemy is firing back."

"Hmm, very well, Leliel, Baraqiel wait for my spell-" he raised his 2 power suffused hands and his eyes glowed in an inner light, _"Spatia Obliquio!"_

In a blink of an eye 10 magic circles appeared around him and the effect on the tree was instantaneous. It shimmered for a moment and a grayish tinge enveloped it completely, from its outstretched limbs, gaping maw and quaking trunk. Its waving branches froze in mid-air and its roaring stopped abruptly. The Elven princes looked on as the two charging ships began firing again while seeing two Angels taking flight and adding their own power to the destruction of the accursed tree.

"[ **Titan Smasher** ]" Baraqiel's weapon floated in front of him as it glowed brightly, from the heavens a rift opened and a similar looking staff plummeted from the ground. Mind you, this staff was 100 feet in diameter and its size was taller than a skyscraper. It was covered in magical runes and it literally smashed into the tree with an earth-shattering force.

Without pause, Leliel braces his weapon behind him and swung it forward so fast a sonic boom could be heard from afar with its passing, "[ **Soul Harvest** ]" six waves of cutting energy emanated from him and sliced the branches that was stopped by their commander. Mind you, these tree branches were easily at least half a kilometer in length as it constituted the primary offensive capability of this tree. But against the might of the Angels, it was like a babe against the seas.

"Keep. Firing." Sammael grits his teeth as he felt the strain of the enemy. Usually, he would effortlessly fight without much preamble and come out on top, but this was the first time he used a spell that is channeling and is honestly draining for him.

Ramiel saw the strain on his Lord and Master, he gripped his sword and stood in front of him. For now, all he can do is follow the plan and protect his Lord. He cannot move or attack independently as this might leave his Warmaster in the open. Unbeknownst to them, on the highest part of the Stellarum Nex a woman was holding her hands tight as she perceived in her ' _mindscape_ ' the magnitude of power the Supreme Being is pouring forth. The Fallen on the other hand tried to grit his teeth as his men poured in onto the enemy's body. Something as large as 100 feet jutting out into the sky is a pretty big target and quite hard to miss, but he was not expecting its HP to be off the charts. He actually researched the nature of the beast before committing to the attack because it is simply common sense, but what he found and recalled was not comforting.

This entity, which has been confirmed to be a Treant, is a boss monster for a section of a map in Niflheim, a mini-dungeon boss if you will. He could only speculate, but the presence of this tree could signify a player coming into contact with it, then brought to this world together with the player. Sammael contemplated this while concentrating against the enemy, "If this treant is an entity from Yggdrasil and it would be foolish not to study it to the fullest. However, it seems that my estimates about its HP and the effects of a channeling spell on this creature was conservative at the most."

"[ **Titan Smasher** ]"

Another large skyscraper sized staff fell down from the heavens as Leliel took hold with two hands his scythe, the treant reeled back from the collossal hit while the black armored angel suffused power on his weapon. The 2 handed weapon glowed a deep bluish purple and the angel heaved it above its head and threw it at their enemy.

[ **Earthsplitter** ]

A powerful wave spreads from the weapon and splits the trunk almost in half, with the treant still immobilized and its branches cauterized, it cannot fire back or retaliate against them. It can only groan and roar in defiance at the destruction it is given.

"Ramiel."

The angel bowed, "Yes my Lord?"

"Time for the killing blow."

"Understood."

The spell holding the treant steady was released and as soon as the tension was gone the treant went full-on berserk at them. Ramiel spreads his wings and took flight, he soon joined in the fight as the Fallen puts his palm together.

 _'Another 10th tier spell, I must be on a roll today...'_

His golden eyes glowed in a holy power and his wings were awashed with golden lights. The 3 brothers knelt in fear and awe as the Fallen opened his palm and said.

 _"Ad Astra, et deicio"  
"et lapis ex petra in carcerem"  
_ _"facies incolo"_

The heavens seemed to open as Sammael threw a small ball of condensed gravity towards the blighted tree.

 ** _"10th Tier spell [FONS GRAVITAS]"_**

The small sphere seemed inconceivable to the naked eye from afar, but a distortion can be seen from a distance as the spell collided with the rotten tree. A blinding light erupted from it and no visible damage can be seen. As soon as he released the spell, all 3 Angels hurtled away towards their ships as Sammael aimed his open right palm at the tree and pushed at an invisible wall. The treant soon quaked from its roots to its branches, flailing and smashing everything within reach, trees, boulders, anything and everything it could get its thick limbs on. Everything became a projectile in its grasp, but it was all for naught. They all saw as the great tree, all 200 feet of its girth above and below ground was uprooted in an upheaval of rock and stone never before seen in the new world. Even as it slowly floated to the sky it still futilely tried to send boulders and trees it could hurl at them, but Ramiel enveloped the fleet with his protection and they were simply swatted away.

His eyes still having a golden glow, Sammael clasped his hands together and poured forth more of his energy forward. He could feel his MP draining like a pocket of water in the desert, his illusion of subtlety on his being was lifted as more and more of his power was sent towards the spell. From the ground, more and more piece of earth broke off and flew towards the treant. It could only howl and roar now as the gravity well it was infused with attracted more and more materials from the surrounding area. A large hill lifted off from the ground and literally torn to shreds by the force of the gravity as even granite stones were sliced and pulverized by the effects of the spell. The floating materials covered and shredded the treant's wooden body as more and more earth began to fuse with it, bonding and preventing regeneration to a cellular level. Everything was taken, stone, rock, earth, trees, even a portion of the Elven city walls, fortunately since no animals ever ventured near the cursed tree anyway, no living being was caught up by the destruction. The howling and roaring finally grew silent as the ball of floating earth easily reach a size that cannot be measured from afar.

Ramiel can only kneel and shake in his armor as the Supreme Being displayed his power, the Elven Princes on the other hand were kneeling face down on the ground.

It was terrible, simply horrifying and unbelievable to look at. A 100 meter malevolent tree was thrown to the air, shredded with earth, then entombed within it. All 3 Elves looked at each other quaking in fear, he is truly a God and if he so chooses then they could be dead in a blink of an eye, their race thrown into oblivion.

The large satellite hovered in the air and was easily larger than the Stellarum Nex, Sammael opened his palm again and the large earthen ball rose into the sky. The Fallen nods to Ramiel then to the 3 Princes and walked outside into the now changed garden deck. Silently they headed for the main gazebo as the Supreme Being sat down and looked out into the receding earthen ball towards space.

"Do you wish to drink something my Lord?"

He shook his head and sighed, "Bring me Chaldea, I wish to be- comforted."

"Right away," Ramiel banged his breastplate, folded his wings and walked away leaving the 3 Princes to the company of the Supreme Beings.

The Angel smiled and turned to them, "I want you three to consolidate your people, you are free to go back now to your old homes. I suggest sharing the Kingdom with the Dark Elves wherever they are. I shall visit you 1 of these days or I shall send my 'representatives', is that clear?"

"As you command Supreme Being!" all 3 banged their armor and they turned to leave.

They finally exhaled their held breath as they reached the bottom of the stairs of the gazebo, silently they walked towards the Cathedral and one by one they looked back at the receding form of the satellite their new 'God' made.

"Araghas, Tyladhras-"

"Yes brother?"

"We have our home back."

The two younger ones smiled sweetly, "Including mother's grave."

"Indeed, we must give praise-" they stopped as they saw a green robed human running towards them, she did not seem to mind them and she hurriedly ran towards the gazebo. Something oddly familiar was with that girl and it nagged at their mind to identify her.

And then suddenly it clicked.

"She's from the Slane Theocracies Black Scripture!"

.

.

 **To be continued... Omake Theater:**

.

Nigun Grid Luin sighed as he looked out of his home's terrace, the cult has grown right under the noses of the Cardinal. Soon, very soon, he would welcome the coming of his Lord and Master with open arms, but to be able to do so, he must get close to at least one of the Cardinals. However, who should he seduce with the promise of his Gods.

Who is the most susceptible?

"Feeling crafty human?"

He turned and saw two diamond eyes that glittered in the gloom of the night, "Lord Demiurge, it is a pleasure."

The demon smiled evily and showed his fangs, "Coming from you who have embraced the Supreme Beings, I shall take your word for it. But my question goes unanswered."

"I am merely thinking if I should go ahead with a coup d'etat or simply seduce the Cardinals or at least one of them with the _'gifts'_ of my Lord Sammael."

"It depends on what you wish to attain and how you usually approach such an undertaking."

"Subtlety would be to our advantage for it would not give them time to be prepared."

"While a bloody coup d'etat would have its merits," Demiurge nods and puts a finger on his chin, "Subtlety has a quality of its own. Is there something else you wish to say?"

Nigun bowed again and kept his head lowered, "I do not wish to disrespect, but I know your time is valued. I cannot see a creation of my Lord to idle with small talk with a human."

Demiurge had to laugh at that, "It seems you became sharper still in your thinking? Very well, you are correct. I bring word from Lord Sammael, he has begun the consolidation of the Sorcerer Kingdom and established its de-facto capital at E-Rantel."

"E-Rantel? The Slane Theocracies black operatives were taken there after their skirmish with the Warmaster, I have never seen their Captain so defeated like that."

"My Lord, most of the Black Scriptures that have survived were given furloughs. The bodies of the others that were slain are still missing, is it safe to assume that the Master has them?"

"Indeed, he means to utilize them for a means to an end. Despair maybe? Who knows what the Supreme Beings plan to be? I can only think of several reasons, but our Lords truly astound me for their reasoning and methods are unlike I have considered."

Demiurge walked back to the darkness, "I shall take my leave now, you will prepare a report with all the information you have gathered thus far, and your future plans for the subjugation of the Theocracy. Additionally, you have to know that Lord Sammael has already conquered E-Rantel."

"What? And so quickly too?"

"Fufufu, truly I was unable to anticipate this, the skills upon which he commands his army is beyond my calculations," Demiurge laughed softly in the shadows, "With the might of Lord Sammael's military and the infinite mind of Lord Ainz, we would sweep away all opposition in this world."

Nigun bowed again and puts a fist on his chest, "I serve the Supreme Beings."

He felt the presence of Demiurge go away, alone once more he turned back in looking over the city as he pondered who would be best to seduce with the promise of the Supreme Beings. Someone powerful, has a high station and truly above suspicion and notice that-

Nigun smiled as he thought of 1 individual that he could have the privilege of being counseled upon. A single name that truly fits the criteria he is looking for. A fellow servant of the 6 Great Gods, a person with high station and such is above suspicion and showered with trust and devotion by his followers. A former soldier of the Sunlight Scripture that he formerly led, this person can definitely be spoken with and offered a chance to join the Supreme Beings.

Satisfied with his choice he walked back inside, headed to his desk and began composing a letter.

 _'To his Eminence Cardinal Dominic Ihre Partouche'  
I bid thee good day, if I may be so bold to ask an audience to assuage a thought that is bothering me since my return._  
 _I will truly endeavor to come to your place of residence or to mine as with your most preferred choice will be done._  
 _My failure weighs heavily on my shoulder and I have found no sympathetic ears to hear my plight._  
 _Please send a reply with my servant so we would be able to accord your acceptance._

After rereading it a 3rd time, he dropped a dollop of wax on the parchment and puts the seal of his family on it. Summoning one of the still surviving human servants, he tasked it to take it straight to the Cathedral of the Cardinal and wait for a reply. He then stood up and poured himself a drink.

" **I** c **OuL** D h **A** vE **do** Ne **i** T y **oOu** kNo **W**. Br **IN** g t **H** e L **et** tE **R** I m **eE** a **N** "

"No you cannot," Nigun said exasperatedly, "The Cathedrals are one of the most heavily guarded institutions of the Theocracy, not only will they have guards. Divine magic users will detect your powers, no matter how much you wish to hide your true face."

" **ThI** S i **s** **M** y t **ruE** fa **CE!** "

Nigun chuckled, "Please. The fact your sprouting extra arms, nibbling like a mantis on your food and actually looked so much stronger than your diminutive size does not just betray the obvious. Your blood lust is practically bleeding everywhere. Not to worry though, if all of this does not go according to plan, well you get to eat an extremely... dry prune."

"I'l **L** h **olD** y **OU** to T **hA** T."

"By the way, thank you I suppose for not eating all my stay-out staff."

It was Entoma's turn to simper and laugh, "I was actually full then already, besides they're getting suspicious."

With that said, she vanished in the shadows while Nigun continued consuming his drink.

.

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 **Author's note:**

 _"Spatia Obliquio." - Spacial Void_

 _"Ad Astra, et deicio" - From the heavens, You fell,  
"et lapis ex petra in carcerem" - And in this earthly prison of rock and stone,  
_ _"facies incolo" - You shall dwell._

 _"FONS GRAVITAS" - Gravity Well_

" _Muindros, hurin an maeth_ " = Brothers, prepare for battle

 _"Ai Muindros." = Hail Brother._

 _"Druichii" = Dark Eldar_

I know most of you my readers would balk at the suddenness of the scenes, but I was intending it to progress further then remain there for a longer period of time like the subjugation of the Elves. I know that it is a whole nation and the build-up usually takes 1 chapter at least, I progressed it further since I do not wished to be bogged down with the story.

Additionally, I just went back to school and I am so happy. Believe me when your already working and helping society function and doing your daily grind. I swear school life is like vacation.


	11. From the depths I come

Disclaimer: Seriously, I would have owned this if only I was rich, sadly I am not. So its not mine.

 **Title: Heaven or Hell**

Chapter 11 - From the depths... I Come!

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Yggdrasil - Seas of Fenris 

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"Bow Cannons!"

Three 25-Pounder guns stacked in a triangle configuration poked out of the bow of the Man-O-War as its sails bloomed at the behest of the wind. Fire belched from the cannons as shots exploded from the mouth of the weapon, but falling short to score a hit on the more agile vessel it pursued. Their Guild Master, Davy Jones shook with rage at the audacity of this upstart that dared to attack them. Apart from being severely undermanned today, it was almost too perfect that they have encountered this enemy at a time that they are at their most vulnerable. Their powerful guild ruled the Seas of Fenrir, their ship was as large as a behemoth-class dragon, and their ship was bigger than the enemy by up to thrice.

"Guild Mas- I mean, Admiral," a newbie member addressed him so, "The ship flies no flag, hence we have not determined who is attacking us."

"Is it Ainz Ooal Gown and their ilk?"

"Unfortunately, we are unable to determine that, but the crew of the ship is not _undead_ ," the member shrugged his shoulders, his words implying that their adversary could not have come from that _'evil'_ guild, "Long-range scrying identifies that the crew are all NPC automatons."

"Robots?"

"Its a broad concept sir, could be cyborgs, robots, AI-"

"Hmm, noted. Keep them on our front and keep firing. He'll tire out soon enough."

"Admiral! The ship- she's turning!"

Sure enough they saw their enemy ship turning sharply, it was really odd to see it that way. It was as if the whole ship is casting a skill and acting like a player itself that it can manipulate its own avatar in this world. Being in a game world, they were still governed by the physics of reality. This was inculcated in their minds and frankly the way the Game Masters held control over the world of Yggdrasil. It was so realistic to their visual senses that it was mind-boggling. But this enemy of theirs is different, it boldly attacked them, then outpaced their ship and then odder still, had managed to move and fight at them like they were fighting a-

"Wait a second-"

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"Activate targeting cogitators."

"Activating Warmaster."

"Weak points highlighting now My Lord."

Red symbols appeared on the hologram symbol above the cathedral as they showed the large Man-O-War ship pursuing them. Red points also appeared throughout the whole of their enemy ship as it translated to the weak points of their enemy, in truth, it showed the vulnerable binary codes linking their enemy's ship together that would allow it to function as a guild base and a fighting platform. However, severing one or two of these binary codes would put the configurations in disarray and would result in a glitch that would cripple their ship.

To put it simply, they would manipulate these codes like a programmer would, but do so with the image of them attacking them with their weapons. This manner of attack cannot be traced unless investigated deeply by the developers, but with great difficulty especially since the code itself came from a developer instead.

"Initiate high-speed turn, all thrusts at maximum, concentrate all shields on the front," the 'Warmaster' walked towards the door of the large cathedral as their ship shook with the retaliating strike of their enemy, "Magos, fire the Jupiter Cannons and bring them to heel."

"Affirmative, Warmaster."

The smaller ship rocked a bit as he opened the large double doors and saw the Man-O-War ship getting larger in front of him, he could see their own cannons firing all their guns at the enemy as they dived ever faster down.

"Magos, full power on engines-"

"Full power aye!"

"Ram them! Port side, execute turn and plunge the dagger."

"Aye sir!"

The engines hummed in protest as it reached a whining crescendo, he could see their ship accelerating in break neck speed as their broadside salvo crippled the larger vessel. The thrill of battle was upon him and it was time to break the back of those that dared make a spectacle of their 'family'.

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"What was that!?"

Davy Jones screamed as he saw their enemy did a wide angle turn, then its weapons flashed and suddenly his ship stopped and hovered in midair. He was trying to exert control over it like before, but it was like he was lagging, which was impossible for this game except for a catastrophic failure in the servers. However, his fluid movement and the frantic shouting of his guild members due to the confusion and stress of the sudden battle upon them proved nothing is wrong with the server. He turned to his elected First mate and saw him panicking as he tried to man the cannons beside him. Well, the weapons work, but why are they not moving?

"How about the others?"

"None have been killed Admiral, but the ship- our guild base, its crippled!"

"We're not moving! Man the cannons and blast them from the skies-"

A shadow passed over his eyes and what he saw gave him chills. He saw the ship's bow of their enemy shaped into a scowling face of an eagle barreling at them from above. Their enemy maneuvered to their port side, reached for a higher altitude and began to kamikaze dive towards them.

 _'What the he-'_

A loud crash as lights danced all around his vision. The force of the ram sent them airborne and crashing into the deck, a large gaping hole was carved on the side of their ship serving as their guild base as the enemy rammed them and took a large chunk of their port side. His guild base burned in his eyes, his lower level members were afflicted with numerous negative status, but mainly, terror and fear crippled their stats. But it doesn't end there, almost a non-stop 'rain' of red came on the deck as numerous enemies boarded them from the enemy's deck. They jumped without a care and attacked his already weakened members 2 or 3 at the same time. They weren't weak either, he could see them at least at varying levels up to 30 and armed with numerous elemental weapons. They weren't overly strong, but being ganged up by more than 3 might be more than they can handle.

Analyzing further, he confirmed they were NPC mercenaries created or rather hired by gold.

"Skitarii?" Davy Jones drew their Legendary class guild weapon, a large halberd made of a rare prismatic ore that seemed to glitter in the starlight, it was the pride and symbol of their guild, "Who dares attack our guild!? Come out you scoundrel!"

From the deck of the the enemy ship he saw him, at first glance he thought it was a winged Angel. But analyzing further it was no simple heteromorph character. The Angel had black wings that sparkled drops of gold and fire, its armor ancient and ornate looking, its face was hidden by a war mask the shape of a stylized skull and its halo burned with an unholy flame.

"Who are you?" Davy Jones demanded from below, "Answer me!"

The heavens opened up and a loud boom emanated from it, from above a white spear with a split head came hurtling down and thrusts itself in front of where the Angel stood. Taking hold of the spear it was cocooned in a ball of flame and then vanished from his sight, then the fire condensed in front of him as the Angel materialized in his eyes level almost 50 meters away. He found that his enemy was bigger than him and looked far more intimidating than he expected.

"Davy Jones," his enemy spoke in a sonorous baritone voice, "You cannot hide from justice."

"What are you talking about?"

"End your incessant questions, your guild will fall this day," he raised the spear as the Master of the Pirate Lords realized what it is, " **[9th Tier: Sol Flagro!]** "

Raising his weapon in time, the guild master knew this would not be easy. Against a foe that acts as a fighting support, he knew that a one on one would be very difficult as the numerous debuffs and supporting buffs could push beyond the limits of a normal character can do would be brought to bear against him. Additionally, the spear this enemy Angel wielded was the _'Lancea de Dispacio'_ a world item that could rend reality and open small portals anywhere and everywhere. A supposed 'broken' World Item that was not deleted by the Devs, but rather encouraged to be used.

It was quite unwieldy since the portals could appear in random and none have figured out how to use it effectively. It was great at offense since it could penetrate the most stubborn defenses and attack where a formation is vulnerable, but it can also affect its wielder. If not used properly and with skill, the rifts in reality can appear near the user and you can accidentally stab yourself, well, its not exactly pleasant to be stabbed isn't it? They were using magic, sword skills with great intensity as they both steadily chewed down on each other's HP. Suddenly, the Angel vanished again from his eyes as his passive shield shattered from the blow.

[ **Fulgur Impetum** ]

[ **Colliding Water Wave** ]

The sudden rush of water around Davy Jones blocked the incoming second strike from the Fallen Angel, he will need to bring the World Item into bear and use it as a counter whenever his enemy would use his own World Item's effect. Activating the passive of the item and using his earlier spell as a catalyst, Davy Jones made water swept through the whole top deck to improve his area status and to give him increased movement speed and slow down his enemy. But as he was about to follow-up on the field magic he casts, he felt something wrong.

His magic was gone.

[Cast Delay Time Magic: **Glacio Impetio** ]

 _'Shit'_ Realization dawned on him since there were very few Fallen Angels in Yggdrasil. Not many managed to cope the loss of a high-tier skill and being replaced by a new one. Additionally, a former support Angel that loses their Divine Blessings is considered a 'special case' as their Fallen aspect allows them to engage in one-on-one by boosting their stats. But there are those that find the sweet spot where they can get the high-tier magic like [ **Glacio Impetio** ] and still fight solo. Those characters are very few and far in-between, with that in mind there can only be a select few that could have managed it and would have the motive to attack him.

"Sammael, you fuckin' bastard! What do yo think you are doing?"

"Hah! Recognized me have you?" the Angel swung its spear and took another chunk out of his HP, "Took you long enough."

"Why are you doing this?" his passive shield finally collapsed as the duration of the spell was well beyond his HP. What he can only do now is stall for time so he can use his mana again and activate the damn World Item in full, "You don't know what your doing, there are rules Sammael! Rules of engagement you must follow before breaking a guild!"

"I follow none of yours- I merely wish to spill your blood in the name of justice."

Davy Jones saw the counter on the spell to be less than 10 seconds, he backed away to buy time and get more distance between the two of them, "You know we will retaliate."

The Fallen Angel laughed cruelly, "With whom will you retaliate then?"

He saw what his enemy was talking about, above his in-game name, a guild name should also be visible. However, it was blank and there were no indicators that he was part of any guild.

"W-what is-"

"Ah, so you finally see it huh?"

"This is impossible! You were a member of Ainz Ooal Gown, where is your allegiance?"

"I have none-" the Fallen vanished again from his sights as Jones felt the spell finally lifting.

 _'Finally-'_

In a blink of an eye, the Pirate Lord took out his own World Item and activated its innate skill. The _'Trident of the Seas'_ clashed with the _'Lancea de Dispacio'_ as sparks flew from both weapons. It was all VR, but both knew they were fighting to the death. Death of a guild, of bonds, of ideals, and both knew that there will be no quarter.

Davy Jones smiled in the real world, his enemy seemed overconfident and was foolish not to activate his own World Item beforehand. He wielded it like a weapon, to be used and bash it around everywhere he pleases. Well, he would now show this Fallen upstart what his weapon can do, and how his enemy's _'broken'_ World Item would fare against his. He began reciting the supplication to activate the full power of his weapon.

 _'Come my love, be one with the Sea,'  
_ _'Rule with me for eternity.'  
_ _'We'll drown our dreams, so mercilessly,'  
_ _'Thus leave their souls to me.'_

The Seas of Fenris began to boil and simmer as the sky darkened, as with all activation of a World Item, this specific effect will give him unnatural control over Water Magic and would make him unto a Demigod of the Seas. The Trident itself was modeled after Poseidon's own and given the same lore, a symbol of power and control over the seas. It was not an item used in a trifle, but he knew this isn't just some clash over guild territory. This Fallen was here to destroy their guild, maybe this was personal, or maybe this was something else, he will need to survive first before knowing the truth.

 _'Play the song that was sung long ago,'  
_ _'That wherever the storm may blow.'  
_ _'We'll find the key to the deep,'  
_ _'And in my heart, we shall weep.'_

His power exploded as the World Item augmented his powers in full, suffusing him with the stats and removing the limitations on his casting of Water based magic. Everything will change, a countdown timer appeared above him as it showed the duration of the item's spell would be on his avatar, he quickly casts 3 water based magic towards the Fallen Angel and watched with glee as the life of the previously impervious character was chipped away steadily. If all goes well, this Fallen would have leveled down and they would not be dealing with him for a time until he has returned to full power. During that time of course, they would destroy all those affiliated to him namely, the guild Ainz Ooal Gown. A blatant lie considering none could have funded the amount of gold he threw at this ship they are currently fighting right now.

He would pay for this, they would all pay for this.

Suddenly his HP went down by 25%, the damage too fast he was unable to see where it came from. Backing away he saw a gaping hole from reality and a spearhead was jutting out of it. Being in the VR world he did not felt the sudden stab from his adversary's weapon. Fear gripped him as the threat of him falling was very real now, with just one stab his HP was so low it concerned him so.

Was his own World Item not able to counter such?

Unfortunately, he would not know much of the answer as another stab from behind brought his HP a further 15% down. Grabbing a potion from his inventory, he clicked on it and found another of the unique effects of his enemy's World Item. A set amount of time is needed to endure before usage of an HP potion is allowed, the ' _Lancea de Dispacio'_ is generally used against support casters and marksmen/ranger types, it allows one to damage them or at least occupy their time so as not to contribute to their allies attack pattern. He took another 2 steps back and swung the _'Trident of the Seas'_ , to delay or block his enemy to no avail.

Jones' HP dropped down a further 20%, alarmed and desperate he tried buffing himself. Dodging another blow, the Pirate Lord noticed that Sammael would spun the weapon around first, slash the bladed end in the air, aimed the business end to him and fired off a spell.

The spell didn't faze him, but it blinded him for a few second and he felt his HP go down another 15%. When he opened his eyes again and focused on the Fallen Angel, he could see his enemy had stabbed the bladed end into a portal that was not there before. Looking back behind him, he was surprised to find the other end jutting out in mid-air. The small slash his enemy made awhile ago opened up behind him and for him not to able to block the attack, he fired off a spell to distract him.

Sammael grinned evilly as he retrieve the spear from the dimension, spun it into attack position and whispered threateningly, "Our blades shall sing this day- Jones."

"W-Wait!"

[ **Fulgur Impetum** ]

The Fallen Angel vanished in a shower of light and electricity, Davy Jones quickly applied buff on him and began moving around the area. All around he could see his soldiers, rather guild mates running around and fighting desperately for their lives. Skitarii's were mid to low level class of NPC monster, yet why are they having a hard time against them. And in a second he knew, his enemy is more commonly known as a Fallen Angel, yet Yggdrasil calls their class the Empyrean Angel Commander. Heavily reliant on passive buffs, it boasts a great increase in both level and stats that could take on his mid-leveled members that are currently logged-in and at least bog down his higher level members. He was still distracted from trying to find where his enemy would appear and concern for his members when his enemy appeared on his left side. The spear came up crackling with electricity as he easily dodged it with his agility, but with the enemy dangerously close to him the only thing left to do is fight.

Raising the Trident of the Seas once more, a World Item that lets you control the power of the sea and whispered softly to call his last card in play, like a lover would do to his woman.

 _"Calypso, I release you from your mortal bonds~"_

Coral like protrusion appeared before him and bonded with his armor, huge gust of waters washed from the sea and up into the air creating multiple maelstroms of waterspouts as darkness and rain showered in torrents from above. Release of the power pushed the Fallen back as Jones finally had the breathing room he needed and swung the great trident towards his enemy. A deluge of water, ice and wind smacked Sammael sideways as the Seas of Fenrir became his enemy. He swung the Trident again and another deluge knocked him away, it was a constant deliverance of negative status that cannot be nullified by the Fallen's passive. Desperately, the Fallen Angel gripped his weapon tighter and activated his own trump card.

 _"Serve or Rule? We care not what you seek... Activate [ **Rex Gehenna** ]"_

As water engulfed and protected Davy Jones, flame smoke and molten rock embraced Sammael. It protected him, binds him, and in their angry fury changed him into something else. Burning off the feathers on his wings it clung to him like an angry firestorm, a veritable wings of fire. The spell also removed the holy halo and shining pieces left on his armor. A prehensile tail with black like horns erupting from his back all the way to his tail. A mask made of bone covered his face and his once glorious blonde hair has turned dark as night. His halo burned with an angry flame as 2 great horns erupted from his smooth forehead, tattoos of eldritch letters and supplication carved on his bare torso as his stats increased in an instant. Davy Jones snarled in response, surely this is not enough to counteract the power he currently wields with the World Item.

" **Your long war ends this day Davy Jones.** "

The Fallen Angel and the Sea Revenant circled each other like 2 wolves, snarling and teeth gnashing against each other. The Pirate Lord was about to move, but again he found that he could not.

" **Activate** : [ **Aura of Genocide V** ]"

"NO-!"

A flash of light as Jones reeled from the ' _flashbang_ ' effect of the spell, realigning his senses he looked around and saw all his guildmates dying one by one. Their virtual bodies slain with one hit as the red flood of the innumerable Skitarii still charges forward to others that have not engaged yet. Focusing in front of him, his enemy raised its weapon and slashed downward. Raising his own weapon to block his enemy's blow, the _'Trident of the Seas'_ was put in front of him in a basic guard as World Item vs World Item clashed for the last time.

But the trident did not stop the spear, the Fallen's weapon passed through his guard and slashed across his chest tearing through his enhanced armor, buffs, and numerous empowerment. His HP was dangerously low, too much hangs on his survival as his death would spell the end of the Pirate Lords. He tried to back away, but he saw that the last magic that Sammael activated does not permit him to heal, escape, teleport, or deflect any further damage. The Fallen had paid a hefty price for casting the Aura of Genocide, the time of vulnerability and he knew that he could not pay its price.

A flash of metal and the clawed hand of the Fallen latched itself on a chink on his armor.

" **Take one last look at your shining example of a guild Jones, for soon nothing of it will remain,** " Sammael laughed maniacally as he twisted his weapon and suffused it with magic, " **Justice for All and** **Glory to Ainz Ooal Gown.** "

" **Activate 10th-tier Magic :** [ **Crucem Golgotha** ]"

Another flash of light as Davy Jones can only whisper in hate.

"Fuck you Samm-"

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Baharuth Empire - Arwintar

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Sammael smiled as he showed a particularly good replica of the Statue of David by the sculptor Michelangelo. The group of noblemen, which is not too many in the Empire, has decided to grace his stores and he gladly accomodated them in the hopes of a few loose tongues and tidbits of information. They were the same everywhere, prideful, apathetic against the lower classes, greedy, and above all else vain. He could see it, though they try to hide it, though they screen a veneer of wealth in front of them, poverty shines through them in small rays of light.

Point in case, they carefully held the crystal figurines he showed them. Those small figurines made from crystal came from the 'Pachinko' event back in Yggdrasil, they were very cheap and most Players threw them away, but Sammael was not just any other player and they even turned out real good in the New World. He also gave them a taste of their expensive wines and spirits, only one managed to buy one from him. The others held tightly to their almost empty purses, like a crone would do on a piece of copper coin. They came upon next to a replica of a painting by Rembrandt or rather one of his apprentice, 'The Man with the Golden Helment'.

"As you can see gentleman, this painting is made with such high quality skill and talent that the shadows formed behind the man-" he gestured to the painting in general, the portait was all black, except where the subject was, "-accentuates not only the lines, the brushstroke made by the painter. He was also able to highlight the color, the subtle change from black to dark, then to color. It also gives you the illusion of peering through a window and a beam of light from above focusing on the subject."

"Indeed it is!" a rotund man in a yellow suit nods in affirmation.

"Most fascinating!"

"Truly a work of art, magnificent it is!" another gaudy man in a purple ensemble dabbed a tear on his eye, apparently too moved with the presence of the artworks.

 _'Turds! All of you are turds, the whole lot of them!'_ Sammael exclaimed in his mind, "As you can see, these art works are quite exquisite. An eternal symbol of pride, name and status, but such objects commands a high price."

"Indeed, as it should be!"

"I could not agree more, lest these commoners have what WE would exclusively have!"

"Commoners having such works of art? Scandalous I say!"

 _'The only thing scandalous I see is your purple strumpet hat!'_ the Fallen struggled to keep his face straight, "I respect your views, but perhaps there is a way. Since we are all friends here are we not? _I can loan these items to you~_ "

The atmosphere suddenly changed as he felt the nobles quiet down at his direct statement. He could give them a loan, even without them asking. In their language, it was essential not to ask at least, as this will mask any conception that they are pressed for money. Asking for a loan means you are losing money, bankruptcy, on the other hand, being offered a loan means you can pay it back.

Can they pay it back?

"Well, I am thinking about the painting by 'Rembrandt'. Would it be alright if I take it on loan?" a noble that was the least dressed of them all said.

Another nobleman interjected, "-do mind that I have my eyes set on the 'Angel' sculpture by that Michelangelo fellow. Is it also possible on loan?"

One by one, the nobles gave their desired items on loan to Sammael, excitement and greed bleeding out of them. He smiled at them affably as he discussed their terms and loan amount, from above them observed Zadkiel and Baraqiel. They were in awe of their master as he could manipulate any human to do his bidding, they dance at his fingertips and they could not help do so.

Truly the exacting image of a Supreme Being.

Leliel bowed and began to write up the loan papers, like any respectable establishment, servants that could read, write and do arithmetic were a great boon and a symbol of high status. Sammael made sure that his Generals knew calligraphy to give emphasis on the flowing lines and the embellishment needed to write a simple loan paper. As the paperwork is being processed, the Fallen approached the noble who requested the 'Rembrandt'.

He smiled warmly and said, "You have excellent taste in art, the artist has painted this more than a century ago and envisioned a soldier. A lettered soldier, old, educated, but still holding firm to his duties. Like the way we all take a firm hold on our beliefs and ideals."

"A century old painting? I was not aware of that-"

"I believe we have not met, may I have your name?"

The nobleman bowed slightly and offered a gloved hand, "Apologies, my name is Ried Karl Furt."

"Nice to meet you Count Furt."

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New World - Unknown location

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00:00:00

The first thing that pulled him back to reality was a buzzing sound in the silence. Like an alarm to wake him up for his stupor, well, time to get back to real life then.

He would need to get ready tomorrow and look for a job, his last one kicked him out for continued tardiness and lack of _'motivation'_ in regards to the performance of his duties. Motivation and duty my ass, if there was one thing he was proud of then it was his dedication to his game. A game where he poured out his heart and soul, time and money, all wasted due to the actions of one man. But this game had decided to close down its doors, give up when so much of its players remain faithful to the core.

Well, its all just business anyway.

For others maybe, but it was more than that for him. In this world, he was a King, the most powerful warlord in all the seas of Yggdrasil. None challenged him and their guild, for if not with sheer numbers, then with their power he would bury them. Then, an upstart decided to attack them out of the blue. One man systematically destroyed their fleet, laid low his most powerful lieutenants and forced disband their guild at its weakest moment in time. He hadn't figured out how he did it, it was as if he had a mole from the inside, but it was impossible. He attacked them a day after the holidays, it was as if he knew that most of his core fighters are out of commission. He could still remember it all as if it was yesterday.

He logged-in that day since it was customary being the Guild Master of course, and to welcome any returning members from the holidays. A fine day for dungeon assaults and guild grinding, he roused his men and gave suggestions on what they can do the whole day. Since it was after the holidays, the only members who were logged-in were the new guys, the hardcore loot grinders and the occasional old hands that stayed below the top levels to assist the new guys who just joined. It was during midday when more of the guild members logged out for lunch, he was on the Captain's cabin on their guild Dreadnought contemplating on the failed attack on their target guild when an alarmed cry broke him from his reverie.

It was an odd feeling, that feeling of seeing a battleship of immense size barreling towards them with reckless abandon. Curiously, it ignored the preparation phase of a guild battle and bypassed any restrictions on a strict guild battle.

Like a HAXX, or in his leet speak H4X0R attack.

But he was not worried. Their base could not be easily destroyed, with just one ship attacking him, this upstart would die and level down and he would grind his bow on the enemy's stern. To his surprise as the battle went ahead, they were soundly defeated in a matter of minutes their enemy had reached their ship's wheelhouse and plunged its sword on his avatar's chest. His guild was broken, his lieutenants were attacked one by one as they logged back in one by one. He fell on that skirmish and was leveled-down, he also lost a considerable amount of items and personal war gear. They were dropped when he first fell, and then again when he came after the ship once more. The last time was when their guild base, the dreadnought 'Flying Dutchman' was broken in half and sunk on the Seas of Fenrir bringing the supremacy of the Pirate Lords on that area to an end.

He tried to claw his way back to the top.

This unfortunate incident showed him the extent of the loyalty and dedication his men had for him. And to his surprise, it amounted to almost nothing. Half of his leveled-down lieutenants quit the game and moved on to other MMORPG. The other half though didn't show as much dedication as he had, other just figured going solo and didn't even try to reestablish their ruined guild. His alliances with the other guilds were all for naught as none were able to help them, in a few months after their demise he knew the reason for their lacking response.

Systematic attacks on all the guilds that was involved in the guild war against 'Ainz Ooal Gown'.

That hated guild of demi-humans, they never knew how to get along with the other guilds. Self-pitying rejects, they never reached out to human guilds, such near-sighted simpletons. They never exploited the niche that would allow them to co-exist and earn a lucrative business to begin with. As their guild name implies, they are a pirate guild and they fight for the highest bidder. In the case of the attack on Ainz Ooal Gown, well, Trinity was the highest bidder, thus, they were part of the vanguards in case someone would send reinforcement or escape from their besieged underground base. And look where that job got him now?

It was done now though, the perpetrator on the attack was one of the only Fallen Angel that have reached the necessary requirements to level up. He was stronger than a regular player, his extra stats and dual specialization gives him access to top tier spells that serves as counter to the other. It was simply messed-up, he fought him and he was quickly defeated with the help of his summon. Or was that an NPC? It was insane, that NPC fought with a savagery that no human could have matched. There was no binary coding that could allow it to fight like that, like an AI or military grade software made it tick.

Regardless, that Fallen Angel professed that he was acting alone, and the GM's could not stop him since he was using an _'experimental'_ software that is in its beta days. The GM's promised compensation, and they did provide it after that hated enemy vanished into the anonymity of cyber space. He also besieged the guild base of _'Ainz Ooal Gown'_ again with his rebuilt guild, but the combined might of its NPC and its excellent guild master and members made it impossible to do so. Years passed and the Angel was not seen again, so he rebuilt his empire from scratch, but it was not the same. So many people gave up Yggdrasil and moved on. Until such time that he was the only one logging into the guild, there were none that could help him anymore, nor to keep him company. But he trudged on with his online life, sacrificed some in the real world and restored the superiority of the Pirate Lords again at the Seas of Fenrir. Having no enemies though proved nothing except that you get everything by default. Guild Wars to control the Seas of Fenrir were no more, most guilds kept to themselves now, while others were fine with ruling a piece of Yggdrasil.

It continued that way for years, until even the GM's, and the business itself called it quits and decided to pull the plug on the game.

He sighed tiredly, it's still dark now since the game was advised to close at 0400 hours. The DIVE gear seemed heavier on his head and his back ached from the long hours he poured on the game lying down. He opened his eyes and looked up to the starry skies above.

 _'Wait-'_

Wasn't he logged-out? Wasn't he SUPPOSED to be logged-out now?

What's happening then? Why is he seeing stars and hearing- the sound of waves crashing on the beach? He squinted his eyes closed and tried to rubbed it with his right scaled hand-

 _'What the FU-'_

Davy Jones eyes snapped open as he looked at his human-like marine creature hand, he sat up quickly and looked down at his body. Either he managed to change into his cosplay or something is definitely wrong. He touched his chest and felt the fabric and the hard points on his great coat, wait a second, sense of touch cannot be transmitted to the DIVE headgear. Something was definitely wrong, he stood up and shook off the sand from his dress, there was a weight on his back and felt for his large serrated ax. He grasped the ornate wooden handle and unlatched it on his back hook, it easily twirled in his hand, like he wielded it all his life. The whole ax, with the biting edged blade was half of its own wooden handle in length, its handle was 5-ft long with a heavy head, but he wielded the weapon with practiced ease. It was not heavy at all, like it wanted to move on its own. His arm was muscular, hidden behind the long sleeves of his great coat.

The great coat itself is a Divine-class item in Yggdrasil, the weight on his head that he thought was his DIVE headgear was a great captain's hat. But curiously, the coat, hat and the tunic within seemed to carry the patina of centuries being underwater. It was webbed and scaled too, there were bony and coral growths on his armor, while his weapon whispered words he could not understand yet he could feel its meaning.

No, not in his heart, but somewhere- no, not 'down' there either. Perverts.

Wait- it feels- it felt strong, he clenched his left hand and felt a budding power within. He felt he could move mountains, the seas, the skies, the wind, the- wait a sec-

He looked down at his reflection on the water and he blanched, _'I looked like a fuckin' chtulhu, a damn flying spaghetti if you must-'_ he sighed at his image, "Of all the mugs that I can choose from, a heteromorph creature huh? Could have been worse eh?"

A shadow moved underwater and an insistent buzzing of warning kept blaring inside his head, then another scaled hand burst in front of him and grabbed him in the arm. The owner of the offending hand came up to the surface hissing at him threateningly, it was a fairly large Naga and it carried a large trident as a weapon with him. Davy wrenched his hand away as terror crept up through his body, he raced towards the beach and found his steps were too fast as the world seemed to zip by him. As his booted leg reached the shore he looked back behind him and saw that the Naga was joined by another one, it had been joined by another one of its kind, it was a size bigger than the previous one and it too carried a pole weapon that he could see.

 _"Who is youss?"_ the larger Naga snarled at him from afar, _"Moved fast- too fasst for a son of the seasss?"_

 _"Answers uss-"_ the smaller one joined in, _"Lest we rip your forked tongue through your tentaclesss."_

They slithered after him for like forever, it looked like their moving through a tank of molasses. Davy kept a grip on his weapon and silenced the loud buzzing penetrating his mind. As the larger of the two Naga reached him its gleaming trident swung towards him, as if in slow motion, automatically he swung his ax and a great whooshing sound exploded where he stood. The sea splits in half as the force of his swing eviscerated the large Naga, the smaller one was flung away as the overwhelming strength he saw destroyed his kin and where it slithered. Ground shook and the sand beneath the waves splits in half, the buzzing on his mind was clear now as it tasted blood on its blade from the slain Naga.

Shocked, he stepped back to the shallows and looked at the destruction he had wrought with the swing of his ax. Was this his own doing? Why is it like this? What happened? What's going on?

He looked down at his scaled hands and clenched it into a fist, the feeling of power being grasped returned to him. But instead of letting go he focused it and finally he felt something stir in the seat beneath his legs. Looking at a particular spot, he imagined a small whirlpool, the exact kind that you see when you go washing the dishes or go to a tub and pulled the drain. It was but mere moments when a vortex appeared and began sucking water, wind, and sand into it. Power coursed through his arms as he felt it also control the sea and all its surroundings, it was a sudden rush to his feelings, a euphoric feeling to grasp power in your hands. He was still marveling at this new sensation when he heard the smaller Naga approach and he lets go of the power he was holding.

 _"Forgive uss... My Lordddssss..."_ the creature bowed low at him, its face almost submerged through the salty water, _"Such is you power... forgive our tresspasss oh great Sea King."_

"Sea king you say?" his voice sounded unnatural to him, like a grating of stone on coral, "Why would you call me as such?"

 _"Sea King commandsss the sea, great ssstrength andsss magic..."_ the Naga somehow replied while bowing down, _"Sea King followed by catastrophe... bringer of woe to all surface dwellersss. King of all Life under the seasss."_

This brought a spark of something in his heart, if he truly commands the seas and he could truly feel and experience all these things then could it be that this is the new world? Did something happen to Yggdrasil that allowed him to be located here? Like some Sword Art bullshit that he had no inkling would happen to him, yet it seemed very real in front of his face right now.

What to do?

Where now?

Would he even go back?

In the moment he looked back at the quivering Naga a decision was firmly made, "You will be my 'guide'. Take me to your city."

The Naga shook his fins and turned back to the sea at once, it vanished beneath the waves as he pondered on what to do next. Seeing that he was a sea creature, it would be folly to think that he could not breathe underwater. Or would it? But there was no time, he had decided to play along and carve himself a territory in this world. Taking a deep sigh, he plunged beneath the waves and found he could breathe easily underwater. He also found out that he could move underwater fairly quickly, his hands transformed accordingly to have webbing in between his fingers and easily cuts through the current with his powerful new body. It felt like minutes, but it stretched for almost an hour until he stepped on the ocean floor. They dove through a deep chasm in the water just beyond the rocky beach and there he found the first semblance of the sea creatures beneath the waves. These Nagas were unlike anything he had seen before, they had lizard like faces and muscular upper torso, the lower half of their body was serpentine and their eyes were like reptiles. Slit-eyed and cold, just like a crocodile, with a variation of green, yellow or blue. They gathered around him curiously, hissing and snarling, some unsure grunts as the Naga who led him back seemed to speak in their guttural tongue. Human language was lost now as the sound needed to say them required a modicum of air and space, those words could not be spoken by those under the pressure of the sea.

Shadows moved beyond their vision, a procession of sorts seemed to approach them as the large gathering of Naga around him began to move away and give him a wide berth. The shadows approached them steadily as it finally cuts to the gloom, a large serpent slithered from the depths and on its head the largest Naga he had seen yet. He counted the gathered throng at a good 100 or more, some are armed, others carried none but weird necklaces on their necks or rather semblance of a neck. The large Naga slithered down from his mount and approached his self-appointed 'guide' to the Naga city. They were arguing in their guttural language again, mixture of chirps, creaks, and expulsion of air from their mouths. Clearing his throat, he opened his mouth and said.

"Is there are problem?"

Immediately, a hundred weapons were raised against him. Those that carried no weapons openly, were suddenly found to be armed. Hidden blades, spears and an assortment of pole weapons were produced all around.

Again, his 'guide' and the larger Naga continued their argument, they were still conversing when the brute's eyes bulged and he stopped talking and breathing at the same time. Davy Jones gathered power on his hand and began to encase the large Naga in a whirlpool. Concentrating on the feeling that he had a while ago, there was simply an incessant amount of talk that he was being forgotten.

"As I said before, is there a problem?"

All weapons hung in mid-air as slowly, one syllable at a time he was able to understand the language of the Nagas. It was like a switch was turned on inside his brain that allowed him to understand it all.

"-t -they are simply confused My Lord. They do not know your power-"

"How many has to die before you know that I will not be ignored?"

"None any more my Lord," the 'guide' winced as the larger of the Naga gurgled in its breathe as it literally 'suffocated' under water, "Our Warlord, the late Gorefin has been removed from the equation."

"Hmm, is he the one I killed?" a nod of affirmation and he nods his head thereby releasing the power he was building in his hands, "Listen to me. Listen to me NOW!"

Nagas mystified and afraid at this powerful individual that could control the sea approached and gathered around him. Others that have been held back, cowed at his presence as he unknowingly activated his passive **Aura of Inspiration**.

"I am Davy Jones, Master of the Pirate Lords," his Cephalopodian face wriggled its numerous tentacles, "We will unite all factions and tribes under one banner. And with this we shall rule the seas!"

He was met with roars of approval and jubilation, they believed him like he believed himself. It was exhilarating and euphoric to be followed, not even having any inkling on what to do. Or if this is truly real, but if this is a dream then he would live it to the fullest and who knows, he might even sate the burning hate in his heart right now. But in all this emotions he still has one nagging issue in mind.

 _'I still fuckin' don't know what's going on.'_

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 **To be continued**  
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(A/N: And... here I GO AGAIN!)

Please take note that I will be re-writing all Chapters from 1 to 10, but I will coincide it with the updates that I would be making. So, in that sense I would be posting the re-written Chapter 1 with this update. Changes made will hopefully make your reading experience better and would open a whole different insight and give details on some things that I MIGHT have forgotten or simply lacked in the 1st time I posted it.

What do you expect, I didn't even pre-read it the first time. Nothing at all!

[ **Sol Flagro** ] = Sun Stream/Beam

[ **Fulgur Impetum** ] = Lightning Assault

[ **Glacio Impetio** ] = Energy Freeze or Mana Freeze

[ **Rex Gehenna** ] = Ruler of Hell

[ **Crucem Golgotha** ] = 10th Tier spell, 'Mount Calvary Cross', envelopes a cone shaped area of more than 1 kilometer. Anything inside is obliterated, purged of all life and all death, numerous crosses will dot the landscape and everything, including allies are destroyed.

Also, let me reiterate. To distinguish my OC, he will only use Latin Spells. So quit asking me the meaning and read the Author's Note.

Its there for a reason you know.

Cheers,  
Scarabeye3000


	12. The Tree of Heresy

Disclaimer: Seriously, I would have owned this if only I was rich, sadly I am not. So its not mine.

 **Title: Heaven or Hell**

Chapter 12 - The Tree of Heresy

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Slane Theocracy

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Nigun walked towards the Fortress-Monastery of the Sunlight Scripture. Being the recent head of its 'extermination squadron', he has direct access to the chambers of the Cardinal of Wind, Dominic Ihre Partouche. Incidentally, the Cardinal was also the overseer of the Sunlight Scripture, but that has been in question ever since the annihilation of that Scripture against a powerful enemy that they encountered recently. Bearing with the shame and the scar of his failure, the former Captain garbed in his old uniform walked briskly to the meeting place. He walked unimpeded until a slightly gray man in priestly robes accosted him, their eyes both cold and calculating spoke volumes of their annoyance yet mutual respect for each other.

"I heard the _'Sun Captain'_ would be coming here today."

"You heard wrong," he turned to the speaker with daggers coming out of his eyes, "-the _former 'Sun Captain'_ would be coming here today."

"Oof! Not enough venom there Nigun."

The former Captain sighed as all bravado left him, "What can I say, when fighting against an opponent not even the Black Scripture could defeat. It calls to question where true power lies."

Eyes formerly hard and calculating softened quickly, "We are both adversaries since our academic days, and not once did you show any vulnerability. To see you drained of all the pride and prestige you once carried on your shoulder. Was it really that bad?"

"Cleric Iscariot," the hardened eyes returned as he puts a heavy hand on his _'unfriend's'_ shoulder, "I always question myself now, is the power we wield truly ours? Is this the limit of what we can do? Is there no other 'source' of such power?"

"Of course! Devotion to the Six Great Gods grant us power, they protect and guide us with their teachings and words and-"

"No- no, what I mean is... are there no other Gods that can provide us with power? Direct power so none will suffer as I- nay, as our comrades at the Black Scripture did?"

The Cleric kept himself silent, word from the grapevine said that the combined might of the Black Scripture was not enough to even faze the 'rogue Angel' they have encountered. And yet, numerous members of the famed Scripture were slain, kidnapped, their bodies taken as such 'Resurrection Magic' cannot be performed. It took even the appearance of the 'Pontifex Maximus' to calm Zesshi down and remind her of the obligation she had to humanity. But with her knowing that someone out there managed to take down the best that the Theocracy has to offer made her giddy so much that she was sequestered even more on the Fortress-Monastery of the Pontifex Maximus and within that the Treasure Room of the Six Great Gods. As Nigun walked away, a figure from the top of the tower looked down and saw him entering the building, a mischievous smile appeared on her lips as she returned to the shadows and the object of her scrutiny continued on his way to the Cardinal's office.

Nigun reached the large wooden double doors and rapped lightly, a muffled 'come in' came through the door and he pushed through without further preamble. Inside, 2 guards stood beside the Cardinal as he sat on an ornate wooden throne in front of his enormous desk. Numerous scrolls, papers and diagrams were shown as a gaggle of scribes crowded the table.

"Schedule my meeting with the local Cleric on the outlying outpost, cancel also my appointed visit to the Elven front lines-"

"It will be done your Eminence-"

"-see to it also that the Holocaust Scripture is reminded to make ready to leave at short notice, although they are under Raymond's jurisdiction we cannot allow them to forget and be overzealous of their duties."

A few more shuffling of scrolls and finally the whole entourage had jotted down their paperwork to be done, the Cardinal waved his hand and the numerous scribes and guards closed the door behind them and left the former Captain and its Cardinal alone.

"Nigun, sit down-" the voice seemed frigid and cold, yet he was not berated right away. A good sign that perhaps the Cardinal was feeling gracious towards him today, "-you requested an audience with me, how may I help you?"

The former Captain bowed respectfully first before taking his seat, "Cardinal Dominic, I wish to discuss further my status as a servant of the Theocracy."

"Your post as a commander of a Scripture is finished Nigun," Dominic said without pause or emotion, "You have lost all your men and having survived the experience, had the audacity to come back and face shame has finished your career. The dissolution of the Sunlight Scripture was immediately implemented the day you were defeated by your enemy. An Angel nonetheless-"

"-beg your pardon your Eminence, but said Angel was not even fazed by the Black Scriptures, if they could not have done anything at all against it. What can a lowly human like me hope to have any different outcome? Should we not reestablish the Sunlight Scripture at least to bolster our strength against such adversaries?"

The Cardinal's eyes burned with anger, but his face showed nil, "It is exactly that reason why we have a problem. Your Scripture, a Company-sized formation of around 80 with your rank as Captain to command was wiped out. Doing just the numbers in our heads, it is too much for the Theocracy to maintain a large contingent of men who cannot even hold their own against a powerful adversary. I am sorry if you are hearing this from me, a former holder of your rank none the less, but it is simply a question of economics. You cannot throw money at something that cannot compensate or at least hold their own, additionally, your slain members are your best fighters and elite spell casters. How you rebuild will take many years as training an Acolyte up to the 3rd-tier magic is not so easy, either you take from other Scriptures to replenish your rank or do drastic changes to your Scripture, which we cannot do without the full approval of the College of Cardinals."

"-but what about the surviving members? I did not bring the full Company to the assassination attempt, what about them? Can we not use them as a foundation and as pillars to establish the Sunlight Scripture back to its former size and strength?"

"Too little time," Dominic shook his head and sighed, "Right now our new 'rouge Angel' has been busy within the Re-Estize Kingdom. We have received reports that the powerful undead you have encountered and the Angel are in league with each other."

Nigun looked shocked and surprised, "Shouldn't they be fighting each other?"

"Indeed, that is our first impression and the only logical outcome for a being of death and darkness when near a being of light and life is that they would be at each other's throat, but this-!" the Cardinal shuffled some papers and shook his head again, "We simply cannot waste more time and manpower to the Sunlight Scripture- our losses are very high and our Capital is very vulnerable. Even Zesshi has been trouble as of late-"

"I see."

"Again, it is regretful that you need to know it from me, but I do not lie. The Sunlight Scripture has been dissolved, all infrastructure, personnel and logistics will be reassigned to other Scriptures, additionally, non-essentials would have to retire early and all will be compensated depending on your survivability of course-"

 _'Survivability?'_ something clicked on Nigun's mind, "Sorry your Eminence, but what do you mean 'retire early'?"

"It is as you heard it, you will have to retire Nigun."

"I can accept that, but what about the families of the slain members? Do they not have any compensation?"

Dominic's eyes saddened, the wrinkled face seemed to be affected by it, "I do not wish this to happen, but the Pontifex Maximus was adamant about this. All surviving members will be compensated, all others that have died have failed to uphold the sacred teaching of the Six Great Gods. As such, they will be struck from the records-"

The chair where Nigun sat fell down in a crash as he quickly stood up in shock and banged his 2 fist on the large wooden desk, "After all the devotion they have shown? The sacrifice? The faith to our religion? They would be forgotten? Just like that!?"

2 burly guards burst through the door at the sound of his outburst, the Cardinal was not even fazed at his tumultuous actions. He gestured his right hand at his guards that everything was fine as he looked at the burning eyes of Nigun at the injustice he just said. The guards nodded their heads in understanding and closed the double doors behind them.

"I understand your... passionate response on what I just said, and I agree with you," at this words Nigun slowly fixed his chair upright and sat down again, "But I do not command the Theocracy, we who promote superiority and equality for all humankind is trampling with those ideals with this written order. Yet, we are servants faithful to the 6 Gods, we can only follow and hold our tongues for the right opportunity. If it were up to me then it would be done differently, but it is not up to me to decide."

The former Captain looks down and nods his head, "Cardinal, if you would lead the Theocracy to even greater heights. What would you require?"

Hard eyes softened at the question, yet there was a guarded expression on them, "Young Nigun, are you asking me if I was a Pontifex Maximus? Or what I would need to be the Pontifex Maximus?"

"Either way your Eminence."

"Before when I was younger, I too harbored the desire to be as such. But my age had tempered my passion, and politics is not ruled by passion alone. Guile, mystic and intrigue are all parts of being part of the College of Cardinals."

Nigun's whisper was barely heard, but his point came across, "If you would have the support of anyone you wish, would you become the Pontifex?"

Rage burned again momentarily at Dominic's eyes, but it tempered itself as he gestured around his room, "I would not think to be Pontifex if I would have the chance."

But the meaning was clear to Nigun, as the Cardinal gestured around the room he pointed at his ear with his left hand, _'There are many ears in my office. Lest we both be tried for treason.'_

"I am happy to know that at your old age, your faith to the Pontifex is unwavering." , _'I understand Lord Cardinal.'_

"Yet the burdens of office do tend to tire me out, tell me young Nigun, do you still occupy your ancestral home?" , _'I wish to talk further outside here.'_

"Yes, your Eminence, my father once spoke of your frequent visits there for recreation. We would be happy to receive you." , _'You have to only choose where and we would make it so.'_

"I see, well, I wish to convey my desire for a visit- I shall send you a letter at your most convenience." , _'I'll meet you soon.'_

"We would be delighted," Nigun stood up and bowed respectfully, "Your Eminence, I thank you for your time in hearing me and reassuring me of what our status is now within the Theocracy."

The Cardinal stood up, smoothed his robes and nods his head, "I expect you back for a full debriefing and for the paperwork of your retirement."

"Good day to you, your Eminence."

The former Captain walked to the double wooden doors, bowed again and let himself outside. Ignoring the pointed looks of the 2 guards standing motionless at the door he kept a brisk pace back to the stables to fetch his horse. He will need to inform the 'maid' regarding his arrangement with the Cardinal and ask his 'Confessor' to be present of such an occasion when they received their guest at the appointed time. He was still contemplating on his movements and his plans when a firm grip grabbed the front of his robes and shoved him inside a darkened unoccupied room. His 'blessing' kicked in overtime and forcefully wrenched the offending hand from its deathly grip on his robes, a surprised gasp as a beam of light finally showed who dared touch him.

Heterochromia in the eyes, hair, and in absolutely everything about her.

Zesshi Zetsumei, the trump card of the Theocracy. The one called _'Certain Death',_ THE hope of humanity.

Stood in front him now, massaging her hand with a mounting blood lust at the sheer strength he had shown her. He could not explain it, but during the time he was being manhandled, there was a voice in his head that shouted in warning. It was unnerving and helpful at the same time. She approached him as he stepped back away, pursuing him further he was finally cornered between a solid wall and the advancing half-elf.

"Only the Black Captain managed to break my grip like that," there was a simper of amusement and laughter in her statement, "You have changed, Nigun of the Sunlight."

"M-my lady Zesshi," he closed his eyes and bowed respectfully, trusting her not to- a wind of immense force swept above him and it took all his self-control not to move in an overt way. Opening his eyes, he saw the large scythe above his head, the bladed edge past his scalp yet it seemed to move out of the way at the last minute.

"Hmm, I thought you would block it- show your strength awhile ago you know."

"Well, I am under a lot of stress. Humans can shows magnificent feats of strength when under a lot of stress, as I am surely now I am."

"Oh," she retracted her scythe and rest it on her shoulder, "Am I part of your stress?"

"Of course not dear lady, it is just that I am being forced to retire after losing half of my men from the 'Angel' that the Black Captain did not even faze-"

The hand gripping his shoulder was stronger than before, it took all his discipline and control not to run his 'blessing' rampant on him. Sure he could survive this encounter and possibly fight her one on one, but this sweet opportunity to undermine the authority of the Theocracy comes first.

"You will tell me of this... Angel."

"I-I cannot Lady Zesshi, I am forbidden to do so in these halls," he gestured knowingly, "I am bound by decree to the Theocracy to hold my tongue... and so are you."

The trump card of humanity grinned, "So, if you are outside of these halls you can tell me the rest?"

Nigun gave a look of hesitation perfectly as he replied, "Well, my lady- I m-may loosen my tongue outside of these halls however, _you_ cannot go out as mandated by the Pontifex."

Zesshi gave him her most dangerous smile yet, she lets him go and began to walk outside of the room, "We shall speak again Nigun of the Sunlight."

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As Nigun closed the door behind him as he left, Cardinal Dominic straightened his robes and stood up. He rang for his personal scribe to come for him as he made his way downward to the carriage house. He arrived at the front steps with his carriage waiting, his personal scribe hurrying behind him. 2 Guards immediately took positions on the outer backseat while his scribe followed him inside the cab. With the Cardinal secured inside they quickly made their way to the main Basilica of the Theocracy where the Halls of the 6 Gods are located. Arriving in less time due to the numerous roadblocks opening at his approaching carriage, Dominic walked quickly up the marble steps of the Basilica and made a beeline for the meeting room.

The whole hall was made of white marble and carved stone, images of the 6 Gods adorned every edifice, every portrait showed their greatness in full detail.

The Cardinal couldn't have cared less, he was a man of few words and tempered passion. He was almost late from their meeting and being late is very frowned upon. Leaving his scribe outside the hallowed halls, Dominic entered the inner sanctum as the other Cardinals waited in silence. Quickly he took his seat and quietly waited, less than a few minutes after settling down, Cardinal Raymond Zarg Lauransan walked in with a few papers on his hand. He bowed at his comrades, acknowledging that he was late and a silent request to be forgiven. Seeing they could not delay any longer, the Pontifex stood up and took out a small washcloth.

"As with all the years we have convened."

Cardinal Dominic Ihre Partouche of the Wind took out a small feather duster, "So, shall we must endeavor to do what have been done before us."

"With cleanliness comes Godliness..." Raymond Zarg Lauransan of the Earth took out a similar washcloth and wrung it from a water bucket. That Cardinal Ginedine Delan Guelfi of the Water took on her hand and followed the procession of her peer, "We shall cleanse the dirt of this earth from the sanctum..."

A feather duster was conjured by Cardinal Yvon Jasna Dracrowa of the Light out of nowhere, "We shall purge the unclean..."

"And wash them with Holy Fire," Maximillian Lagier of the Darkness God took out a small horse brush as Berenice Santini of the Fire God took out a water spray bottle and washcloth, "Let the cleaning begin."

After much groaning and moaning of being old and advanced of age, of being slower and such other reasons. All Cardinals straightened up and put away their cleaning materials, sitting down on their respective seats they quickly began their agenda for the day. Mainly, the growing threat of the unknown rogue Angel on their border with the Re-Estize Kingdom and it ceding control of E-Rantel to the said threat. Additionally, the annual war of the Empire and the Kingdom seemed at a hold this year as E-Rantel and the whole Katze Plains and Forest of Tob region has fallen under the control of the rogue Angel.

"We are at a quandary, with this _'unknown'_ appearing suddenly out of nowhere-"

"Yes, our spies indicate that this Angel is in league with the one who obliterated the Sunlight Scripture," Cardinal Dominic said as he took out a report from his saddle bag, "The same Angel who have crippled the Black Scripture."

Cardinal Maximillian sighed, "This puts much strain on the Holocaust Scripture, aside from maintaining the status quo in the Elven border, we need to ensure that our enemies would not be able to encroach upon us. This also adds additional strain to the Windflower as their agents have already been spread far too thin, while the Clearwater Scripture can't even penetrate the borders of E-Rantel so we can at least know the status of our missing men-"

Cardinal Raymond, commander of the Scriptures bristled at the implied meaning, "We cannot infiltrate men so quickly after such a great shift on the leadership of a fortified city-"

"Isn't it a perfect excuse? We can simply give them orders not to engage anyone and say that our messengers have come from afar, thereby giving the alibi that they were not aware of the changes-"

"-and simply give away our agents through sheer chance?" Raymond shook his head, "It takes a long time to cultivate and make an effective Scripture member, I will not sacrifice men on such flimsy reasoning and under such dangerous conditions."

"Agreed," Dominic nods his head, "We should wait at least until everything has settled down. We need to know if the Kingdom will cede E-Rantel or try to duke it out by committing to a siege."

"I doubt they would commit a siege, they do have a war with the Empire-"

"-maybe they would ask for a concession?"

"The Empire would not concede, their hold on the Katze Plains is secured with the loss of E-Rantel and the Kingdom has considerably weakened with the loss of that Fortress City," Maximillian shook his head, "No, the Empire would not allow any concession... although with the loss of E-Rantel, the Kingdom could persuade the Empire to launch a siege of their own on the city-"

Yvon also shook his head, "That will not happen as we truly know the objective of the Empire from day 1 on their annual wars with the Kingdom. Ever since they began mustering their forces near the harvest seasons it has been obvious, with the Kingdom not having any standing army unlike the Empire, they are forced to use the 'Peasants Levy' and as such have no manpower to harvest the grain. Though they may have, it is not enough since the women could not tend a whole day of farming and mind the house chores."

"Such shortsightedness-"

"-most unfortunate it is, but King Ranpossa had no choice. If an enemy gathers at your doorstep would you not respond in kind?"

The Pontifex raised his hand and all eyes focused on him, "Our greatest concern right now is that would this rogue Angel and Undead Sorcerer be gathering on our doorstep or not? And if so, what can we do about it?"

"As it stands, we cannot do nothing. What we can do as an alternative is that we could gather more information and if we see that they are neutral at best," Dominic paused, "-then an alliance would be beneficial."

"Bullshit-"

"-that is absurd! The Theocracy cannot align itself with the Undead!"

"Lord Surshana is undead-"

"He is a GOD!" Maximillian, servant of the God of Darkness banged his fist on the table, "He is worshiped for his benevolence against the living, do NOT compare him to an upstart as that self-proclaimed ruler in E-Rantel and his attack dog Angel!"

Dominic did not reply but merely listened to the ramblings of the whole meeting having already said his piece. This 3rd player on the continent was very powerful that not even the Black Scripture was able to stop him, and to think there are more of those god-like beings appearing on the- wait a minute.

"Is it possible that they are also Gods?"

Silence permeated through the whole room as the implication to his words began to sink in.

"Dominic, do you mean-"

"-yes, the Advent of the Gods."

"They said it represented a symbol-"

"-indeed," Cardinal Raymond, the Scripture Commander produced a piece of paper and laid it on a table, "An 8-pointed star from an unknown enemy."

It was the Pontifex who stood up that broke the silence as he quickly stepped away from the table. The other Cardinals looked at him as he walked over to a recently cleaned cabinet and retrieved an old book. He wiped the minute dust on the gold letters engraved on the front and brought it to the table, the letters read _'Forum de Spiritus Sanctus'_ an old book by the God of Fire that was kept as a reference and a firm bank of information from ages past. Carefully, he leafed through the pages and looked at the last entry before the first Advent of the Gods, which brought the God of Fire on their world. Being the Pontifex, only he had access to all of the information privy to the Great Gods themselves, thus on the course of his readings he came upon this symbol that seemed to nibble on the edge of his memory.

 _'Guild Log: 4th Month of the 132nd Year of the 2nd Millennia' (this translates to April of 2132)_ _  
 _Our main guild required material assistance regarding the impending attack on our 'enemy'._  
 _Low-level grinding has been intensified, reports of all members being of full level confirmed._  
 _Operation: Overlord is a GO.__

The Pontifex's eyes moved further below and scanned the next passages, he found another reference to this so-called enemy of the Gods.

 _'Guild Log: 12th Month of the 132nd Year of the 2nd Millenia' (this is December of 2132)_ _  
 _Operation: OVERLORD commenced__

 _'Guild Log: 1st Month of the 133rd Year of the 2nd Millenia' (January of 2133)_  
 _Operational loses from Operation: OVERLORD_  
 _10 full level Council members slain (6 confirmed level down)_  
 _25 voting members (19 confirmed level downs)_  
 _Lost equipment amounting to a billion gold confirmed._  
 _Outcome of Attack: Abysmal results_  
 _Result of Attack: Penetration up to the 8th Floor, 2 remaining Floors confirmed. No member of said group was encountered, attack force obliterated at the 8th Floor._  
 _Recommendation: Specialized mixture of attacking forces is recommended, full power of The Trinity advised to be mobilized. Mother guild already informed of assessment._

"What are you looking for Supreme Pontifex?"

"I am looking for an article that was mentioned in passing when I was reading this book before however, it was lost on my memory what page it was-"

"A detail from a Book of the Gods that you forget? Is it that obscure?"

The Pontifex gave a small amused laugh, "It is not as obscure as you think, no, it is merely for a lack of perusal that I forget. These pages are very fragile... and to damage them would be of the highest treason against the Gods. Even if I wish to read it at my leisure, I could not, simply because I wish to preserve its remaining years and merely use it for when the time is- aha, here it is."

 _'Guild Log: 3rd Month of the 134th Year of the 2nd Millenia (March of 2134)_ _  
 _A disturbing news has reached our ears, the Pirate Lords have been vanquished. A mercenary guild that was employed by the Coalition before._  
 _Main guild advised to prepare for an impending attack.__

Turning the page slowly the Pontifex was greeted with a symbol that have been in his mind ever since the report of the fall of E-Rantel. An 8-pointed star glared from the page as he read out loud the last entry of the on the God of Fire's book.

 _'Guild Log: 5th Month of the 134th Year of the 2nd Millenia (May of 2134)_ _  
 _Holy Spirit has been defiled, attacked and sundered._  
 _Guild Weapon taken. Presumably destroyed._  
 _Treasury Plundered._  
 _Guild Master 'Helios' slain in single combat._  
 _Vice-Guild Master 'Hestia' buried in a flood of enemies._  
 _Guild Champion 'Surtur' slain in single combat._  
 _Attacker identified as 'The Fallen'._  
 _Head Scribe 'Valir' ends Log.__

Ever so slowly, the Pontifex closed the century old tome and settled back down on his chair. Silence as the implication settled among them, a being more powerful than the God of Fire had arrived on their world.

"It is fairly clear, the God of Fire Valir, may his eternal flame burn forevermore, has battled the one who carried the 8-pointed star."

"If he is the enemy of the Fire God, should we not fight against him?"

"It is plausible, if only we have a God with us- sadly, we only have those that are their equal."

Dominic shook his head, "You can't possibly mean the Dragon Lords. All our united God-kins could stop him."

"Do you honestly think that? Even our best team of God-kin, the Black Scripture, was decimated. I was thinking more along the lines of the original Dragon Lords," Maximillian declared with confidence, "These 'Dragon Lords' may not be aligned with us, but they fight malevolent forces such as this one. We can approach them for an alliance to take these new enemy at least."

"They will not buy it-"

"-why not?" Maximillian argued, "If it threatens this world, then it threatens all of us. We can also see if the Dragon Lords have any weapon they can use against us."

The Pontifex nods his head, "A good preposition, any further ideas how we could cultivate a 'working relationship' with the Dragon Lords of the Argland State Council?"

Dominic listened passively as the meeting continued for hours, endlessly debating the feasibility and the success of having an alliance with the Argland Council and how they should initiate contact with them. The Dragon Lords are surely powerful indeed, but can they match up to the power of the mentioned 'Fallen'. Will they be able to stop them if they ever came to blows against the Theocracy? Are they even willing to consider it?

 _'This red tape would kill all of us,'_ the Cardinal grumbled internally as he listened passively as his peers continued their discussion.

Already, plans for his rendezvous with former Captain Nigun began forming in his mind. Possible contact would be beneficial not just for him, but also for the Theocracy. He would have to see first if it would be worth his time, if not, it is a simple matter to flex his power and bring the whole military and crackdown on the heretical Captain and his ilk.

.

.

E-Rantel

.

The former home of the Magistrate, which is the E-Rantel Citadel has now been fortified by the forces commanded by Sammael. Flags by Ainz Ooal Gown carried by his undead soldiers stood on every gate possible, beside them are the red-hooded automatons of the Warmaster. Patrols of Death Knights followed behind by a group of Skitariis roam throughout the city, enforcing peace and compliance to the citizenry. Not like many would challenge the new powers of the city, but who could tell what crazies would attempt such a thing.

There was not a shortness of these crazies though at the first, with all the reorganization that they have experienced, but the masses reaction is what is important.

Though the masses were all skeptical at first, for in their eyes a conqueror is just a different kind or class of nobility, but these new masters have had no trappings of power. No greed for they are already wealthy beyond measure, they are indubitably powerful, and command much under them. These beings were beyond their comprehension and can only contemplate in wonder at the numerous benefits that was swiftly provided them, most importantly are the new laws that have been implemented for their own good.

For the security of the city, martial law has been placed.

First and foremost, it is against the law to draw any kind of weapon inside the city, facing arrest by roving Death Knights and Skitariis and immediately sentenced by Elder Liches or Magos, whichever is available will be implemented at once. As they say, justice delayed is justice denied. Crime is punishable depending on the frequency and the severity of the altercation, and violence against women, provided said women cannot defend themselves is outlawed. Still, other statures are being discussed by the Supreme Beings for a smoother flow or transition in government.

Ainz banged his fist on the table and shook his hand in anger, "Sammael-kun! I thought I told you we would not encourage the red light district to prosper!"

"But what harm does it do? We can bring here the wonderful genres back in Japan- I mean, gothic loli, Pettanko, Oppai, Tanlines, elven tanlines, BBC, Ahegao, Yuri, Yaoi- well, maybe not Yaoi, but we can have harem and exotic. We can even have Vanilla if your into that stuff!"

"Oh my GODS!" a green aura suffused Ainz at once as memories of those flooded his mind, "Its like listening to Peroroncino ranting about his- his stuff again! We cannot bring that 'stuff' immediately to the citizenry. It might foster the underground elements even more."

"That's the thing, we stimulate them and then we can know what controls them so we can control them too," the Fallen points to his head, "One sure way to get inside a city is by going underground- recently, reports about the 8 Fingers have reached our intelligence services. This is worth pursuing so we can get a foothold on the capital of the Re-Estize Kingdom."

The Lich shook his head, "I believe we have to consolidate our forces here first, continue your efforts to ingratiate the Baharuth Empire and undermine the Theocracy, while I shall focus on the Kingdom and also try looking for the Dwarven Kingdom."

"How about the Elven Kingdom then?"

"I have left the twins to their devices, hopefully, with the advisory capacity of Albedo and Demiurge, they can restore the Elven Kingdom to be a self-sustaining kingdom."

"It won't be easy Ainz-kun."

"I never said it was," the skeleton sighed tiredly, "In any case, at least we have something of a barrier between the Theocracy and the Great Tomb."

"And so now we go back to our old conversation, what would we now implement with the new zoning area that we have devised."

The skeleton rubbed his bony chin and gestured to the hologram in front of them, "E-Rantel has 3 walls, the former plans of the walls show that outside of these walls are the farmlands and warehouses for unessential items. The 1st wall is where the peasantry reside and... and the 'former' red light district."

"Is that so?" the Fallen said coyly.

"Yes, it is so, they do have the red light district before- hah! moving on away from that! The 2nd wall are divided into four districts, the industrial, commercial, half of the nobility or rather merchant's dwellings and of course the numerous guild headquarters in the city."

"The last is where the citadel or the stronghold is located, it is also where the high nobility reside and the garrison barracks are located."

The Fallen nods his head as he looked at the planned diagram, "It all looked good on paper, but this was not the city we laid siege to."

"Indeed it was not, due to the numerous skirmishes with the Empire, the warehouses became mustering grounds for the numerous troop movements happening annually. The farmlands are adequate, but without enough hands to help well not enough food are getting into the tables, and so they are forced to shift from agriculture to industry, which took on the space for the commercial district and the merchant's housing, thus most are on the 3rd wall where the military and high nobility should have resided. But since the high nobility does not want to rub shoulders with the military, they spread out the garrison throughout the 3 walls thereby crippling a cohesive command structure and reaction time has been lessened since they cannot access the highest point of the tower for observation and reconnaissance."

Ainz also shook his head, "Economically, they should be feeling the effects of the annual war with the Empire. Their King, as you said is no fool, but he has been roped into a tight spot by a true tactician."

"Indeed, and to think the Emperor of the Baharuth Empire is so young. He would make a great vassal."

"A vassal?"

"Well, we have to think forward Ainz-kun... our first vassals are the Lizardmen and the Elves, but if you would be the Sorcerer King and all, we have to be prepared to select the monarchs that we would choose to rule under us."

"... and you thought Emperor Jircniv would be fine?"

"While it is a given that he is egoistic, he is also smart, shrewd and cruel when he needs to be. I have heard rumors of his ascension to the throne. Typical Games of Thrones stuff... emperor father not fitting anymore, son gets a head bigger than his ass, turns out the son has a thing for a rebellion yadda yadda and next thing we know a _'Night of Long Knives'_ happen on the Empire and Poof! They have a new Emperor."

"That's pretty crude-"

"-you could not imagine the gossip I hear everyday, most are worst than that. But the story is corroborated by the Imperial Archives and by numerous hearsay."

"Gossips you mean?"

"Gossips wrapped in a gossamer of secrecy, it is a gossip reserved only for those friendly of ears," Sammael shrugged his shoulders, "If that is the situation, then usually it is true. To protect I suppose the story teller from... unfriendly ears."

"Indeed, if you say it is then it must be so, though I hope you can handle the subversion with the Baharuth Empire?"

"Worry not my friend, I have taken numerous steps to ensure the Empire would be ours."

"By the way, Demiurge reports that your initiative with the Theocracy has born fruit."

"Oh," Sammael looked intrigued, "I seemed to have not been informed yet, is it about my heretic?"

"Yes, he seemed to have seduced a Cardinal."

The Angel almost choked on his tea, "I-I never thought he was into men, wow... that's news!"

"Huh!? What? No!" the Lich spluttered, "What I mean is he seduced a Cardinal with power, he reported that one of the Cardinals he approached agreed to meet with him regarding his 'encounter' with us and the supposed 'truth' he had learned."

"I'm just joking, your so serious Ainz-kun, but please do continue."

The bony face looked miffed, "Apparently, no name has been conveyed yet. But it was his former commander that had been showing interest in your 'gifts'."

The Fallen Angel can only sat back on the plush cushions and nod contently, "Good job Nigun, very well done indeed."

"Did you predict such a thing from occurring or was this perhaps a chance occurrence?" Ainz rang a small bell and Sebas followed by 3 homunculus maid followed carrying numerous trays of their favorite food. Truly, ever since they found out that they could eat, especially Ainz who was undead, though he can only do so magically. Yet it was truly heavenly to have the feeling of filling your hunger, or quenching your thirst though he does not really need it.

"Did you know the sin of vanity is my most favorite?"

Ainz took a cup of pudding and scooped some in a golden spoon and puts it in his mouth, taking care to concentrate in 'eating' as a skill and magically he was able to chew its texture and swallow it without dropping through his robes, "Where is this questioning going to?"

"Well, I intended Nigun as a test subject at first, but in hindsight it seemed he was perfect to be converted. First reason is that he is vain, a noble with a high-rank in government, to be brought low in such a spectacular manner and then to be elevated once more beyond what he could do. Deep inside he's probably drunk in his new found power now, but his discipline should have been heightened more and he would take the things he learned from fighting me to heart. He would not wish to disappoint me, thus, he would be aggressive in his recruitment but not forgetting to be careful at the same time."

"2nd reason is that he hates to fail at anything, so I am sure that he would destroy himself first before failing me. 3rd reason is that he is loyal as he can be, slowly but surely he is ingraining in his mind that I am his God. And one thing I learned from our Old World is that no one is as faithful or as deadly a servant as a religious zealot."

"Like Nigun?"

"Exactly like Nigun," Sammael scooped his own cup of pudding and chewed thoroughly, "The only problem now is to find others like him that we can use. Maybe make a quasi-Black Scripture to match those fielded by other Kingdoms so we do not need to send our NPCs or even ourselves for that matter."

"Hmm, haven't you recruited a Magic Caster in the Baharuth Empire?"

The Angel stopped and frowned, "Holy shit, I forgot about that guy- hmm, well, he is still useful in regards to the running of the Empire, but I shall call upon him and if he delivers in the future. Maybe, just maybe I can use the skill I gave to Nigun."

"Was that a pre-determined skill?"

"Not really, the description back then was really vague," Sammael shrugged, "It was supposed to be a permanent buff for anyone that might need it. Though it takes a bit of HP to cast-"

Ainz looked scandalized at the statement, "Wait, you mean to tell me that you have been using your own HP for a damn experiment!?"

"No! No! Would you relax!" the Fallen looked miffed, "I can replenish my life by sleeping, as long as I do not cast it multiple times it would not even dent a chunk of my HP. Plus, I am equipped with my _'Ring of Mercury'_ , so I am covered with HP regeneration."

"Well, if that is enough then I take your word for it," the Lich waved his hand and Sebas bowed and filed out together with the Homunculus Maids, "Now, let us get back to what you were discussing, an all-human team you mean?"

"Indeed, a complete party if you must, but first I must get your approval for my pet project, the Officio Assassinorum would be born and I could go ahead and pull humans or at least entice these talented individuals to fight for us."

"Hmm, you mean assassinate for us?"

"Same difference really- listen my friend, we need these humans not just for assassination, we need them for the covert operations of our Guild, they can be commanded by Demiurge or one of my Angels if you want."

"It does have merit, why don't you go ahead and we shall see what-"

The Fallen Angel stood up and smiled widely, "Wonderful, I knew you would say yes, so I took the initiative to make one agent on call."

Ainz looked confused, weren't they on the brainstorming part of the conversation, "Very well, let us see this new 'test subject'. But we need to work on discussing these kinds of things first before we even get a 'test subject'."

"You're so serious Ainz-kun!"

Opening a [Gate] an individual stepped outside of it as the Elder Lich scratched his chin for any signs of familiarity. The being had blonde hair, that was shaved on the sides like a mullet, the remaining hair was braided up to the back. It was a woman since her figure gave away her sex, garbed in the same closed neck tunic that Nigun wore, there were two small swords on her back and 6 stilettos on her waist. Her face was covered in the gas mask common to Skitariis and one of her eye was glowing red due to the modification done to her. Her whole arm was covered in the same tight fitting armor and her boots were steel toe leathers.

"Ainz-kun, aside from Nigun, meet another one of our 'agents'," Sammael looked proudly at the being in front of them, "She was severely wounded when she had an umm... altercation with us, but she was purposely modified to serve us. Programmed to obey our voices, no fear, no pain, and no hesitation... but with just a word she can act and interact like a human."

The Lich looked at the seeming human marionette in front of them when it clicked on his mind, "Is that the woman from the Bareare skirmish?"

"Indeed she is!"

"I see, I was looking for her body, but we only managed to retrieve the old man's body," Ainz rubbed his chin, "I turned him into a Lich as an experiment, now if only he would stop bugging me every time I pass by-"

"I thought he wanted to be a Lich or something?"

"Yes, he did!" the undead puts his hands on his face and rubbed it in frustration, "So, after subduing him, I took mercy and granted him his wish turning him into a Lich! I knew that he would retain a modicum of his memories, but damn, if he would just stop kowtowing and keeps on grabbing my legs or my robes whenever I pass then were good at least."

The Angel chuckled heartily at his friend's woes and gestured to the revived Clementine, "At least he is grateful, anyways let's go back. Her arm was crushed by Azrael... but my General saw that she possessed Martial Art, thus he only knocked her out in the end. Once incapacitated she was handed to the Magos Biologis to be mind-wiped, then to modify her memories and then ingrain protocols then VOILA! We have a Jason Bourne shit right here Ainz-kun, cool huh?"

The Overlord did not speak, he was shocked at how casually his friend decided to turn this human into something else. Not that he was not happy his friend was doing his own thing in regards to being busy, but experimentation that's cool? What's next? Nuclear?

Sammael seemed moving too fast with their power, while it is true that none can challenge them in any aspect of the world they are currently learning now. It seemed his Angelic friend is a bit callous in handling other people, especially those that have the potential to serve Nazarick in any capacity. Either way, he would have to trust in his friend's judgement, for if they could not trust each other then they would just destroy themselves, would they?

.

.

Capital of the Re-Estize Kingdom

.

Gazef Stronoff took a potato crop on his gloved hand and felt its texture. It was hard and seemed fresh, he picked up a few more and hands it to the vegetable hawker. Next, he went to the apothecary and obtained a few cooking ingredients, especially a block of salt. He then went to the blacksmith and dropped off his shoulder plates to get it adjusted and then to possibly replace his leather gloves. He then went to the bakery and took out a loaf of bread, as he was heading home he managed to look into the sky and saw rain clouds forming. Taking a quick detour in a small alley, he noticed a lump of human drizzled by the morning dew and the refuse of the surrounding houses.

"Brain?" Gazef's eyes squinted in the semi-lighted alley, "Brain Unglaus, is that you?"

Tired lifeless eyes shifted and looked up at him, a pained smile with the sudden recognition and the heaviest sigh he heard in his life before the addressed man spoke, "Nice to see you Head Warrior Stronoff."

The Warrior Captain knelt beside the man and puts a hand on his shoulder, he noticed the man didn't flinch nor did acknowledge the contact, "What are you doing here Brain? What happened to you?"

"Gazef, we are so weak- so damn weak- it is useless to resist or even fight it."

"What are you talking about old friend?"

"Friend? Ah, it is good to hear that... but in the face of insurmountable odds that not even a glimmer of hope remains," another heavy sigh and the tired shoulders slumped even more, "What can men like us do against such reckless hate?"

He had enough, he stood up and half-carried, half-dragged the listless man, "Enough drama for the day Brain, lets get something for your troubled mind. Come with me."

"Where are we going?"

"To my house."

.

They arrived at the Warrior Captain's house without much fanfare and incident, once inside he dropped Brain on a quiet corner of the room, in a few minutes he noticed Brain's breathing evened out and he was asleep. Working quickly, he started a fire on the fireplace and began preparing something hot for the both of them. It was not much, for the life of Gazef was spartan, coming from the peasantry just like Brain. An hour later Brain's eyes opened and immediately stretched, the smell of something being cooked made his tummy gurgle and he followed it to where Gazef was sitting cleaning his sword.

The Warrior Captain looked up and grinned, "You looked more like human now."

"Thanks Gazef, for letting me crash for the night."

"Your welcome," he puts his sword down and goes to the cauldron to fetch their supper, "Mind getting the bread and cheese out?"

"Ah, sure," Brain stood up from where he was and walked over to a small cupboard, inside one of the doors was a new loaf of bread. He took it and half a block of cheese, setting it down on the table Gazef came next with two steaming wooden bowls on each hand. They sat down and took a few mouthfuls before the Warrior Captain asked.

"So, what happened?"

Brain stopped and tried to reorganize his thoughts, the disaster with the bandits was one thing, after that it was all just a blur trying to escape and get away. Hopefully, in the safety of the Capital, or at least as far from E-Rantel as possible.

"Have you ever faced someone so powerful, that you suddenly realize that no matter how hard you trained or how lucky you are, you will still die?"

It was Gazef's turn to be silent, how odd that his friend should ask this considering he had faced just those beings in Carne Village. It was terrifying to beheld them and their might, he also knew that they have not even began to use a modicum of their power. They didn't seemed to be trying to fight the Sunlight Scripture then, at this the Warrior Captain gave a small laugh.

"Yes, Brain. Yes, I have indeed met someone like that before."

And he proceeded to tell the story of the rogue Angel and its protection of Carne Village.

.

.

E-Rantel

.

Abel walked through the almost empty streets and sighed, what had once been a bustling frontier city have been reduced into a foreboding place. Its once numerous citizenry have been reduced in half, businesses uprooted and moved elsewhere. Fear gripped the populace as its new masters sank its fangs more deeply into their lives, undead patrols and men 'made with iron' patrolled the streets ensuring compliance and conformity.

The Undead Sorcerer King and his Angelic Warmaster Sammael brought fear and compliance to this city since the first day they descended on their midst.

But they also brought security, food, shelter, and benefits. The dirt roads that were unpaved that led to the slums have now been laid in uniformed stone, they could not believe it at first, but with the undead forces and automatons moving non-stop and working through the night. It ensured only a few weeks of construction and they were done, and since the roads are paved stone, a canal was integrated to it for sewage on each and every home. And since sewage has been integrated, clean water from a newly built aqueduct has been distributed around the city.

Abel dusted off his leather working gloves and pair of pants. He stood in front of his stone home after a days work at the fields, a farmer like him could not have afforded such a large home, but the new rulers of their city decreed that all dirt houses will be demolished and replaced with their stone house. Well, why would they refuse such a blessing. The only thing asked and required for them is that they help in its construction since they would be using it anyway. Before, they would only earn so little by farming their small lot, but since the reorganization they are now given the task to produce crops to feed the populace.

Soldiering has now been delegated to the very few who would wish it.

He looked back at the empty streets and smiled, serving under the Undead King didn't seem so bad after all.

Abel turned and found his wife preparing the table for them, her beautiful face smiled back at him as she sat on the table waiting for him. He puts his farming tools near the door and sat down facing his wife.

"Where are the children?"

"Where else? At the school."

Ah, one more thing that the Undead King and the Warmaster was so adamant about. Education. Each and every one of his 3 children has been given education by their Kings. In fact, it is required for the peasantry to surrender their child and be taught letters. It was told of them that it will promote discipline, knowledge and to make them better people. Abel wouldn't know about it, he couldn't even read or write if his life depended on it. His wife though could do rudimentary arithmetic, but his sons and daughter would know everything this world had to offer. He was still dreaming about it when their door burst open and 3 children came charging inside chattering about all at the same time.

"Father! You wouldn't believe at school-"

"Mother! Look at this paper- I got an award!"

"Father! Father! I got accepted in the Military Academy!"

"Wait!" their father raised his hand that shut the children up, "By the Gods, one at a time children. Eldest first, Seth go ahead."

A tall lanky boy at the age of 12 smiled and said, "Father, the Head Magos spoke to me earlier. He said I have the brain capacity to be in the Military if I want to. Though he also said that he could recommend me to learn in the Merchant's school or perhaps in the Engineering school."

"Oh? Well, we do know what goes on in the military right?" Abel's heart lifted at his son's expectant emotions, "Tell me what do the other schools do?"

"Well, the Engineering school is handled by the Magos. It is about building houses, bridges, castles and basically building things. The Merchant School falls under the Commerce and handles the finances of the Supreme Beings... they travel a lot with the caravans and look for potential merchandise and wares. But they both have heavy use of mathematics, which the Head Magos said I was good at."

Abel smiled at that, his eldest had all the opportunity in the world to advance where his heart lies into. Unlike him, he needed to work the fields to feed the Sorcerer Kingdom. Hopefully, one day they would be able to come back and work the fields with them. "And what do you wish to do my son?"

"I was thinking of helping in the fields first, and then go to school at the same time, that way I can do Merchant work or Engineering work then go back to farming."

"Do what you want my son, your father is here to help," their father turned to the middle child, a girl this time with long flowing black hair, "... and how about our only Princess?"

"Father, look-" she produced a small flute and began playing a short tune she learned, "Ms. Yuri said that I could be a musician with my skill.

"And what do you want my girl?"

"I want to sing!" the girl said cheerfully as she made a small spin, "Ms. Yuri said that they would teach us and train us if we want."

"That's good, that's really good."

"Father," his youngest son approached next and gave him a small necklace, "I made that."

The pendant was a small farming sickle engraved in a small plate of copper, it was simple yet it was carved by his youngest child. He looked at his youngest and he approached his mother next and gave her a box of needles while saying proudly, "I MADE THAT FOR YOU MOTHER!"

Abel stifled a tear as the future of his children seemed so clear now, with the Supreme Beings providing their children with the HOPE for a better future. He could die happy knowing they would have all the opportunity in the world, but for now he would enjoy this necklace made by his youngest and make sure to brag about it tomorrow in the farmer's forum in the morning. Before when they were under the thrall of the Re-Estize Kingdom, he knew he would have to break his back and his eldest son to even give them a decent way of life. But since being annexed by the Sorcerer Kingdom, he wouldn't mind breaking his back, if only to fuel the fires of the future.

Indeed, serving under the Sorcerer King is an honor in itself.

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Undisclosed Location

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The darkness of the surrounding forest seemed to swallow any light that managed to pierce through its gloom, there were no need for guards since none would venture so deeply into this forest. The foreboding shadows hide an evil so despicable it could turn a lesser man into a gibbering wreck. Flags of skull and warning adorned the area as hidden assassins lie in wait for unsuspecting wanderers or intruders. Inside a ring of trees, stood a ruined temple of an ancient and terrible religion that had sat unused for centuries. Except now, an eldritch circle pulsed with energies as its latest occupants began a ritual that was lost to Mankind.

A sacrificed human, flayed alive and blood dripping on the makeshift stone table fueled the grisly ritual as numerous jewels held by hooded men pulsed with negative energy.

Unbeknownst to the gathered cultist, 5 pair of eyes looked at them from afar. The assassins that they were counting on to keep the coast clear and were supposed to guard the perimeter have all been taken care off. They continued their chant without no idea of the danger they were in.

[ **Message** ]

["Hey Lakyus, the twins are in place- at your command."]

["Hmm, its too late for the hostage. We can at least obliterate them- everyone make ready-"]

An interference made her stop as one of the twins inserted between their messages, ["Lakyus, be advised... there is an unknown shadow that slipped by me."]

["Friend or foe?"]

["Not sure."]

["Make sure EvilEy-"] Lakyus stopped and found the shadow that slipped through her ally, "Look-"

A hooded woman clad in black robes charged with blinding speed towards the chief spell caster, there was no time for the other occupants to turn and stop her as her speed looked inhuman. With shadows that clung to her like billowing smoke, she brandished her two short swords, leaped up the altar and impaled both weapons on her enemy's chest. The Blue Roses can only look on in wonder and amazement at her speed and precision, her face was revealed to be hidden behind a mask of metal, but her hair was blonde and short to remove the impediment of an enemy grabbing her on the head. Still unsure of what to do, the nearby cultist found their heads flying off their heads as she took out a curved sword held in place like a tonfa as she sweeps her hand left and right killing and slicing whoever is in range.

She moved in a circle and easily killed all the cultist, her speed was like the wind, and her movements fluid like water. But her strength seemed inhuman, evident when she kicked a cultist to a standing pillar and pulverized the stone and the human body that collided with each other. With every shower of blood from a sliced jugular, a cultist dropped dead and unmoving.

"Lakyus, look-"

They saw the woman take the orbs being held by the cultist one by one as she killed them, they were the fabled Jewel of the Dead that was favored by Zuranon senior necromancers. So, the unknown assassin seemed to be targeting them as well.

Three cultist finally had the presence of mind to run towards the exit, but before they were able to exit their bodies were pierced by unknown weapons that came from the darkness. 6 other black hooded figures came charging and secured the perimeter of the altar and the ruined temple. With their bloody work done, one of the other hooded men approached the woman and bowed.

"Callidus-chan, the area has been cleared of enemies."

"Any complications?"

"None, the guards around the perimeter have already been dealt with."

The Blue Roses looked at each other, if they came in here first and dealt with the guards then they must have known that someone came here before them. They left the hired assassins dead in their wake, if the bodies were found by these black hooded people then they were already exposed to begin with. What's more noticeable is that they have not sheathed their weapons yet, nor relaxed their stances, which makes them ready in case their group decided for a confrontation.

"Understood, well done Legionnaires-" the woman turned towards their direction and seemed to look at Lakyus's eye directly, "-set charges and then return these to the Supreme Beings."

She casually handed back the sack carrying the Jewels of Death as the hooded figure bowed and walked back to the part where they came from. 3 other of the men took out small blocks of clay from their sacks and began to knead them into shape like a dough, they set them in a triangle configuration around the altar. Then they stabbed the putty of clay with small rods of shining steel on them that blinked lights in a regular interval. Stepping away, they walked back into the shadows and their presence was immediately lost even to Evil Eye's senses.

"They're gone Lakyus-"

The leader of the Blue Roses still observed the mysterious woman in black, her silhouette seemed familiar after all. With their job done, the figure began to back away towards the shadowed archway to exit the temple, but to everyone's surprise it stopped and said out loud.

"You have done well to not have interfered with the work of the Supreme Beings!"

The woman removed her mask and they almost gasped in shock, her face was similar to the Wanted Poster spread by the Theocracy. It was said that she went rogue after stealing from the Miko Princess and her sacred treasure. But to see her standing in front of them, with half her face made from a smooth metal and a red unblinking eye unnerved her to no end.

"Tia, Tina!"

Clementine replaced the mask covering the lower half of her face and stepped back into the shadows, both assassins stopped before they could step into the shadows as it seemed thick and alive. Writhing and roiling in malevolence, a different sense of foreboding and fear emanated from within and human self-preservation made them stop immediately from pursuing.

"She is beyond my grasp," Evil Eye shook her head as she felt her presence vanish, "Its impossible, one minute she was there- then all of a sudden she was gone."

"We did not felt her move except to step back into the shadows," Tina closed her eyes and focused, "Nor can I hear anything beyond our location- she could have casts 'Fly', but invisibility will still allow me to hear her."

Gagaran shouldered her weapon and charged through the shadows, after much thrashing around she came back to their circle and shook her head.

"Not a single footstep."

"Impossible."

The large woman's eyebrow arched, "You calling me blind Tia?"

The assassin shook her head, she trusted her companion's judgement, her twin then knelt and inspected a body of the cultist. The wounds were all clean, there wasn't even too much blood splatter on some of the corpses. It was quick, silent, and their targets felt nothing at all, not even the numbing pain of death gripping their bodies.

It was an overall clean hit.

Gagaran shrugged her shoulders, "Well, at least we know her skills hasn't dulled ever since they were last seen back in E-Rantel. Reports said they were slain by Momon- could he have lied?"

"Wait," it was Evil Eye who noticed it, "Everyone- RUN!"

The 3 seemingly inert clay putties put out enormous magical potential within seconds as magic circles began forming around them. The Blue Roses broke off in haste, their retreat could have been more graceful, but the fear and urgency in Evil Eye's voice compelled them to move faster than necessary. As soon as they stepped out of range of the circle of trees, a great wave threw them to the ground as the explosion consumed the ring of trees around them. Like a great dragon breathed through it, debris of stone, wood and everything else rained around them.

Standing up and recovering almost immediately, Gagaran lifted the nearest of the girls beside her as she herded her teammates away from the blast site.

They kept heading back until they reached higher ground, from afar Lakyus looked back at the blast site. Ring of trees, the old ruined temple, the cultist, everything was now gone. Instead, a crater replaced where it all once stood. Not a single piece of evidence was there except those that they carried in their minds, well, what good is what is on their mind if they couldn't even explain what the hell it is.

"Evil Eye," she turned to their diminutive magic caster, "How did you know?"

"There was an imminent feeling of danger the minute those 'things' the black men left began pouring out mana like crazy."

"Ever seen magic like that before?"

The vampire shook her head, "I can't recall anything that I have encountered before."

"I see."

"Lakyus," Gagaran breathed heavily and gaped at the destruction they managed to escape from, "What will we do now?"

The blonde woman turned to her teammates and said, "We will go back to the Capital, the Crown Princess must know about this."

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.

 **To be continued**  
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(A/N: And... here I GO AGAIN!)

Chapter 2 has been re-written.

Cheers,  
Scarabeye3000


	13. Kingdom's Blight

Disclaimer: Seriously, I would have owned Overlord if I'm a _gazilllionaire_ , sadly I am not. So, tough then.

 **Title: Heaven or Hell**

Chapter 13 - Kingdom's Blight

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E-Rantel

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Ainz stood in front of the open window overlooking a large expanse of the fortress city. The former fortress in the middle of the city that housed the mansion of the ruling noble has now been converted into his own palace, its connecting tower where he is currently located at has been re-purposed by Sammael's forces. They installed a ' magical radio', in their own words, to quickly send message from one place to another. By doing so, it stops any skillful mage from scrying their 'Message' spells, a problem that was informed of them by one of the Fallen's contacts in the Baharuth Empire. Regrettably, Sebas's own contacts at the Re-Estize Kingdom's Mage Guild also reported that some particularly good sorcerers can actually sense those kinds of magic, including the _'thought'_ of the message itself.

The Overlord sighed as a shadow passed in front of the window, that shadow was the receiving beacon of the Astronomican. A powerful radio device that was powered by magic, a device that combines the 'Message' spell, 'Confusion', 'Blind' and 'Stupor' spell all in the same casting. Once the message is received to another vox receiver, the spell is then purged of all the negative buffs and only the 'message' is received and heard. It was an innovation that could speed their progress in communicating large distances without using the 'Message' spell. After fortifying the whole city, he ordered all of his Legionnaires to leave the Death Knights as city guards with Elder Liches and Magos serving as commanding officers, bureaucrats, and the line government workers.

Ainz looked down in contemplation as his mind wandered back to their current hold on this world.

Capturing the head of the Slane Theocracy's Sunlight Scripture really was a boon for them. The information provided by that fellow was crucial in their decisions within this world. If it was up to him then he would just delegate the interrogation to someone who knows, but the denizens of Nazarick are made of sterner stuff and they might accidentally kill their prisoner. Indeed, it was wise to have that human survive, not only did they get that they are basically untouchables in this world, but they are more akin to Gods. People actually worship them, and at some point other players were actually worshipped just like the 6 Great Gods. They expanded their power base quicker with the combined guile and military might with a speed unknown to this world, and no hidden enemy to actually challenge them or impede their progress.

Hidden enemy huh?

Ainz sighed once more as the relay beacon of the Astronomican finished its perpetual revolution of the tower, its shadow covering his view of the city once more. Spies on the city have told them that their citizens are somewhat happy with the outcome. Humans are surprisingly adaptable to the situation they are in, especially if the said situation is conducive to their survival. As such, the citizens of E-Rantel, nay the Sorcerer Kingdom has brighter prospects than the average New World citizen. Though since occupying the city there have been an influx of nobles vacating their homes and heading to the capital; for one thing that the new rulers of the city understand is that talent and hard work comes first before those being born of High Blood. With this policy the incompetency of the old kingdom has been washed away and a new era of skilled and educated elite has begun to sprung. Though there are some nobles remaining, like the merchants and its guild that have continued to stay in this city. They are exempted taxes for trading goods, but it was still precarious since being closed off from the outside then they would have no one to trade with. Luckily, they have a prospective avenue within the Baharuth Empire.

Sammael huh?

Once more his thoughts returned to his friend and their quick subjugation of E-Rantel. Like lightning they descend into this city and sweep all opposition in less than a week. Within a month they have a bureaucracy that's working almost like a well-oiled machine. Though with the help of Albedo, Demiurge and Azrael, but the actions of his Fallen friend are questionable at times. The callousness upon which he ordered the test of loyalty from Demiurge, the brutality which he dispatched of the Black Scripture, E-Rantel's quick occupation, and the numerous human experimentation that shocked him at first, but then he should not have been surprised considering it was Alain's creation who pursued that project after all. According to Demiurge's proposal, they would acquire humans of varied birth; from noble to peasant, old and young, people with magic or with skill and then use their skin as the writing surfaces of scrolls. Ainz felt strange that he didn't even feel shocked at that as he remembered when Azrael clarified that information to him. He honestly thought those 'Abelion Sheeps' were chimera-like sheep's not actual humans flayed alive then healed magically until the harvesting of their skins begins anew. That angel was a god-send, like a very thorough secretary/teacher he would explain each and every paper before he would sign it, time-consuming yes, but very thorough indeed.

Though he did mention this issue with Sammael, he simply dismissed it and said, _'I will look into it, but isn't it nice they are thinking for themselves?'_

Whatever happens though, he will need to trust in his friend's judgement. After all, a good commander like him that defended his nation in the Old World would surely have nothing but the best interest of his country in mind.

The revolving shadow of the Astronomican's receiving array covered the window he was standing in front of again. As it passed, Ainz turned to the whole city and sighed, "Well back to work" he said silently and promptly vanished in a shimmering pillar of color.

He materialized in front of his new desk procured by his servants that apparently belonged to the former Magistrate of E-Rantel. Standing in ready beside him was Albedo, based on his own and Sammael's input, she was selected as the Prime Minister and Prime Ambassador for the Sorcerer Kingdom. Demiurge was made Minister of the Interior, while Azrael was made liaison to the Armed Forces. Much has been changed, and much are still changing, one part of the New World's life that needs to change is the somewhat new harmonious living imposed by the Supreme Beings. Being ruled by heteromorphic creatures, especially the undead is one thing, but if you take an Undead Overlord and proclaim itself King over the living, then some arrangements and changes must be made. First and foremost is that violence has been prohibited against anyone, even against the servants of the Supreme Beings. Humans, demi-humans, elves, and other such races are prohibited from even raising their own arms against each other, additionally, there are rules implemented to ensure the quick identification of each and every citizen of the Sorcerer Kingdom.

They were given tags made of a specific metal to identify their name and their clan, each and every citizen that obtained one hung these like talisman on their necks. This serves as a quick way to determine if the said creature is a citizen of the Sorcerer Kingdom or not, to sell such an identification is a crime and to possess one that is not yours, especially when said tag is obtained due to crime is punishable by death. Additionally, these tags are engraved and quite different from what the Adventurer's guild issues. Another change made by Sorcerer Kingdom is the use of undead and automatons for agriculture, construction, lumbering, and industry. A concept that is quite unfamiliar with the New World, but quite welcome to the very few noble that have kept an open mind and remained in the Capital, this industrialization increases output for specific goods that would only be possible by the tireless undead and automatons working in the mines and the fields. Taking actual time to read the reports sent by Demiurge and Albedo, he concluded that:

1\. The Sorcerer Kingdom has acquired 1 iron ore mine and 1 coal mine located near E-Rantel.

2\. The Sorcerer Kingdom has acquired 1 natural salt mine located near the Lizardmen Swamps.

3\. Farming fields abandoned by the fleeing nobles has now been transferred to the Kingdom's direct control is approximately more than a thousand hectares. THOUSAND hectares at least.

Ainz took a moment to do his math, if 1 Hectare is equal to 10,000 sq meter, then 1,000 hectares is-

 _'Ohhh, dear god- my head is spinning.'_

To be able to control such a large amount of land, he shook his head and assumed his 'thinking pose'. His right index finger on his right temple and his chin slightly resting on his thumb, his elbow sitting atop the edge of his desk and body reclining to the side. He practiced this pose in front of his mirror, which earned a few laughs from Sammael as he showed it to him one time. The only one with him right now is Albedo and another homunculus maid, they both looked at him with gushing admiration on their eyes as he gave off an aura of a great leader that is deep in thought. He returned to his seating position after a minute and continued reading the reports.

4\. Trade is closed with the Re-Estize Kingdom, Sebas and Solution has been dispatched to assess business viability and direct contact with possible black market networks. Azrael and Narberal Gamma continues to do adventuring within the Re-Estize Kingdom as the situation with the Sorcerer Kingdom and Baharuth Empire remains high.

5\. Nigun Grid Luin has established further contact and requested additional stealth units, Lord Sammael consented and sent 10 operatives from the Black Hands. Agent _Callidus-chan_ is on standby as per order of the Warmaster.

He had read the reports regarding the recent exploits of the Black Hands with _Callidus-chan_ aka Clementine. It seemed his friend did the right decision in changing her to their side, but he could have done away with a better name. _'I mean... Callidus-chan?'_

6\. Nfirea has successfully sent the ingredients list to the Great Tomb and our own synthesizers are beginning to replicate his results. With the ingredients readily available in this New World, then they could definitely replicate one of the Sorcerer Kingdom's greatest asset.

7\. The lead on the Dwarven Kingdom is substantial, Frost Giants were encountered by the Azerlisia Mountain expedition team. Team escaped, equipment lost, Magi's mind processor has been slightly damaged, but has been easily repaired and fully functioning once more.

8\. Lord Sammael reports that the Baharuth Empire's contact is solid, they began reaching out to the Kingdom about what happened to E-Rantel. Possible temporary alliance against the Sorcerer Kingdom is looming, situation is developing, will advise if further action is needed.

The Overlord sighed, report number 8 definitely came from Sammael. It was short, concise, informative and suggestive, it was like reading a military report. His friend do tend to do some things over the top and- wait a minute!

[ **Message** ]

 _"Yes Momon-kun?"_

 _"Ah, Sammael-kun, I hope I have not caught you in a bad time."_

 _"Not really, I am currently at Arwintar to deal with one of our contacts here. Hopefully, he can give me suggestions on what can be done to secure vassalage with the Empire."_

 _"Vassalage? You are asking for suggestions? I see you take your advice to heart."_

 _"Indeed I do, remember what I told you? Always ask for suggestions on your subordinates, those that offer their thoughts you can always tweak or make small changes. They would be glad to have your input and would have their hearts pleased by having them help you."_

 _"You always think of these things Sammael-kun... you really should have been the Guild Master."_

 _"Bah! Don't fob that responsibility to me- whoever leads carry all of us in your shoulders. If I or anyone of us who are your subordinates should make mistakes then who would carry the guilt?"_

 _"Aha! So you do not want to be burdened by guilt?"_

He could almost see Sammael in dogeza in front of him, _"I thank you for your sacrifice."_

 _"Very funny, anyways, correct me if I am wrong, but am I right to assume you will incite the Baharuth Empire to ally with the Re-Estize Kingdom to dislodge the Sorcerer Kingdom at E-Rantel."_

 _"You are correct!"_

 _"But why?"_

 _"Simple. No one can practically defeat us in a contest of strength, from what information Nigun has provided us and the revived members of the Black Scriptures that we are currently keeping. No human, demi-human, dwarven, nor elven army can stand against us for now. So, as long as we have time, then we must surround ourselves with defenses that would act as shields or buffers against any substantial enemies that might come."_

 _"By allowing the Kingdom and Empire to ally against us, we would crush their armies and give us 'just cause' to attack and annex their own lands for us. Just like what Germany did against Poland, they invaded due to 'just cause they attacked by their own soldiers', that was 1940 I think."_

Ainz sighed, _"A long lifetime ago huh?"_

 _"Indeed, anyways, we can always refer to history on tactics we can do to justify our movements."_

 _"But what about the people? Will they love us? Will they accept us?"_

 _"As I told you before, humans are very adaptive creatures. Incite the masses and they will love you, plus all these people will have died in a hundred years or so, remember that the victors always write history as they want it to be."_

 _"So? Are we the victors already?"_

Sammael laughed darkly, _"We will be. Even if we burn the whole world into ashes, we will be victorious. Now Ainz-kun, I will have to postpone our chat, my contact has just arrived and I will be meeting him now. I will see you tonight regarding the points of our meeting."_

With that the [ **Message** ] spell has been cut, Ainz sat up straight in his chair and assumed his 'thinking pose'. The words of his friend continue to ring in his mind, 'world into ashes', 'we will be victorious', 'We WILL be'.

"A victory in a burned world..." the Overlord took a paper report and began his reading for the day, "... would be nothing but a Pyrrhic one."

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Azerlisia Mountains

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Magos Vestigo M4314 turned his Philips screwdriver clockwise as he tightened the bolts on their damaged equipment, the ambush they have suffered from the Frost Giants was one thing, but now they were pinned down by giant wolverine-like creatures that walk on bipeds or on two legs. They were ferocious and their small number of explorers and legionnaires were not enough to combat thousands upon thousands that seemed to hunt them down. His men collapsed the passage that they passed through and lined the stone walls with ferrocrete, a mixture of ground stone and grounded iron ore. It was sturdier than cement and stone for the properties of the iron bonds perfectly with the stone and the razor claws of the creature's would not be able to penetrate it. With a large sigh, he replaced the panel on the damaged equipment and gathered his remaining legionnaires with him.

"Write down this message, if I should fall again, at least one of us must survive to bring the Warmaster here," each and everyone of the surviving members of the expeditionary force took out a paper and their writing implements.

 _"Begin Log: Day 24 of the Azerlisia Mountain Exploration"_

 _"Found evidence of Dwarven Dwellings, encountered unknown bipedal creatures._

 _"Creatures found to be semi-intelligent, speech capable, brutish disposition._

 _"Creatures currently occupy the Dwarven City, initial recon indicates also Dragon in residence. Possible 2nd Dwarven city might be existing, recommendation: additional units for recon."_

 _"Expeditionary Force encountered Frost Giants at rendezvous point Charlie-2, anti-armor weapons lost._

 _"Creatures identified as Quagoa alerted to our presence, initial guards squad overwhelmed with numbers._

 _"Request immediate assistance and extraction. If possible, retrieval operation of remains is requested._

 _"End of Log_

After jotting down the copy of the message, 2 of the Legionnaires still considered 'fresh' by the Magos carried the Vox machine and began walking the trek back to an unexplored cavern they retreated into. By using radar imaging they deduced that these caverns could lead to unknown passages that would give them the signal they need to reach the Astronomican in E-Rantel, as long as their message gets through then that is all that matters. Magos Vestigo M4314 stood up and puts his left arm around another Legionnaires, two other legionnaires have succumbed to their wounds and was laid to rest on a side cavern. Hopefully, their bodies would remain undisturbed and they could still retrieve them later for reactivation. Their eyes adjusted to the darkness as they slowly, but surely made their way across the darkened cavern, desperate to give the information that the Supreme Beings have tasked them to obtain.

They trekked tirelessly, their stronger constitution and sturdier bodies made them superior to normal human soldiers. According to their lore, the Legionnaires were created as obedient, superior soldiers to the line human infantry. Fearless and ingenious to a fault, if commanded by Senior Magos, then their deadliness is increased tenfold.

It seemed like days, maybe hours or more, but finally light could be seen ahead of them.

"Magos, this is EL 25, will proceed first for viable reconnaissance."

"Affirmative, carry the extra beacon and set it in a hidden section."

"Roger that sir."

The Legionnaire nodded its hooded head and went ahead with 2 more soldiers. They carried a tripod with a radio dish on it as they finally reached the open area ahead. Razor-like cold winds battered them sideways as a snow storm was upon the mountain side. Scanning the surrounding area, the legionnaires set the tripod on the flattest surface they could find and activated the beacon. He then turned to one of his men and pointed to another cliff side.

"Make your way to higher ground and establish Over Watch."

"Affirmative."

The 2 soldiers shouldered their weapons as EL25, continued setting up the vox beacon, the cold was biting through his toughened skin, but he paid it no mind. He finished setting up the beacon and clicked on his vox radio, "Magos, we are all set-up here. Over Watch also established on higher ground."

"Send coordinates to the Astronomican, the Supreme Beings needs these information. After you do so, set-up in standby mode and await reinforcements. We shall also find our own niches and activate our beacons, good luck out there."

"Affirmative, EL25 out."

Expeditionary Legionnaire 25 clicked open his pouch and retrieved the data slate he had written their message upon a few hours ago. He dialed out the coordinates of the Astronomican and quickly sent out the signal as a [ **Message** ] spell, hoping and praying to the Supreme Beings that they will receive it. He then shimmied himself in a small niche or a crack in the stones as if to minimize his signature and began to put his body into hibernation mode. The Magos ordered them to conserve their energies and preserved what is left of the integrity on their bodies that this cold had already taken away. His last vision was the constant blinking light on his ammunition belt and the last thing he heard was the howling wind as they all waited for help from their Warmaster.

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Astronomican Room

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Far away on the walled city of E-Rantel, the Astronomican locked on the incoming [ **Message** ] spell. In a blink of an eye it purged all of the security spells that was sent with it and quickly pinpointed the sender. The revolving receiver stopped its motion as it received the rest of the message. The spell moved through the highly magic fiber that was used to link the Astronomican to the _Astrophatic Choir_ , a group of a hundred specially modified mid-level magos that allows them to pour their enormous magical potential outward and also inwards. It was received by a particularly newly modified New Worlder and he stood up while 2 Senior Vox Magos approached him from both sides.

 _"Log of Azerlisia Expeditionary Force"_

 _"Extracting Data: Priority Level 1"_

 _"Expeditionary Force compromised, equipment compromised, objectives has been met."_

 _"Dwarven City confirmed, no citizens found. Further investigation is warranted."_

 _"Magos ordered Force to 'Hibernation Mode', ETS 25 Days before body deterioration."_

 _"Forwarding data to Stellarum Nex and to the Great Tomb."_

 _"End of Log"_

The 2 senior Magos took out two scrolls, quickly wrote down what they have heard and went separate ways. The 1st one headed to a different briskly down to the door landing. Flanked by 2 Legionnaires, the party made their way to the office spaces on the connected building, which is the E-Rantel Fortress and walked past large hulking Death Knights. The Magos paid them no mind as the Legionnaires walked a step behind him, they finally came upon a door and he rapped lightly on the door.

A few moments later the door cracked open and a woman of absolute beauty and grace stepped out. Her face seemed unreal as the vision seemed like an Angel had come to Earth and given form, but her horns and black wings say otherwise.

Albedo looked at her fellow servant and asked, "Yes?"

The Magos bowed in response and said, "Lady Albedo, I am a Magos in charge of the Vox communication, this intelligence came directly from the Azerlisia Mountain Expeditionary Force. This is a priority message marked by both the Warmaster and the Undying Lord. He must see this at once for it is related to one of his projects."

"I see, very well then wait here and I will announce you myself," Albedo turned and walked quickly inside.

From outside he could hear the succubuss' voice, "Ainz-sama, a priority message has been received by the Astronomican. Shall I send them in?"

"Yes."

The 2 Legionnaires opened the double doors, but did not follow inside. The Magos walked inside confidently under the watchful gaze of the 8-Edged Assassins on the ceiling. He walked quickly and stopped a few paces in front of their Lord's table. Dropping to one knee and bowing his head, he took out the rolled scroll and held it above his bowed head.

"Albedo, please."

"Of course Ainz-sama," she took the offered scroll and passed it respectfully towards the Overlord.

The servant of Sammael dare not move from where he knelt, but he could hear the humming of their Lord as he read the report he made. Being in the presence of one of their Lords was truly exciting and worthy of remembrance until-

"Magos."

He looked up and puts a hand on his chest, "My Lord?"

"Tell Sammael-kun, that I would be delighted if he could sent a relief force and check if any Dwarves are still on their city. It is imperative that we make sure that this _'solid lead'_ on Runecraft is explored, and I believe this is the foothold we need for such instruments to be expounded upon."

He bowed again and committed the words to memory, "As you command my Lord."

"You may go."

Standing while bowed, he lowered his head for a final time and turned around. Opening the double doors he was quickly joined by his 2 Legionnaires as they marched back to the Room of the Astrophatic Choir leaving the denizens of Nazarick on their section of the citadel.

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Slane Theocracy - Nigun's Mansion

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Nigun smoothed his robes consciously as the alarm of the approaching carriage reached his ears. It seemed only recently of his discussion with the esteemed Cardinal, yet now he stood giddy at the prospect of having this high-ranking member to their side. If this pushes through then he would have a contact within the highest circle of the Theocracy however, if the Cardinal would not join their side then they would have to go with Plan B. Though his Lord have indubitably prepared contingencies in case that happens, the words of the Guardian that visited rang clear in his mind.

 _'It is not folly to ask for help on doing the bidding of the Supreme Beings, but do not call upon them lightly for they do not take lightly to failure.'_

No, failure is not an option now, if worst comes to worst then the peculiar maid the Masters sent him would need to help him subdue this human. For no amount of human guard could stop him and the power of the maid combined-

" **A** r **E** yo **U** thI **N** ki **IN** g a **B** o **U** t m **Y** of **FE** r to **EAT** the o **LD** **C** r **O** n **E**?"

He sighed at that aggravating voice, "That old crone is our ticket in getting inside the highest circle of the Theocracy... and please change your voice, he's coming and he might not take kindly after hearing your _'unique'_ voice."

"Since you asked nicely I will do as you wish," the maid simpered, "Shall I greet them then?"

"No, I will greet them. Please prepare refreshments though," the maid walked out as Nigun suddenly called back to her, "Please do keep in mind these are humans and they appreciate not finding any bug legs on their drinks."

"YES! Yes, I'll keep it in mind you heretic."

"Nor do they appreciate bug body parts or anything unnatural on their food!"

"Tsk! You worry too much!"

"I only worry when its you!"

"Well, its funny how they react!"

"Keep your funnies when the clerics decided to visit us again."

"Ooh, your talking about your best of friends? The Apostle?"

"Yes. Now go on please, please, they're about to arrive."

Nigun sighed tiredly, he had been more polite recently since he found out that it was not easy living with the inhuman maid. At least that was what she looked like at him, her unnatural strength, magic, and dangerous facade all contribute to his gut feeling. But what confirmed this is that when he tried to use his gifts and looked at her true nature, he had to walk out of the room to stop himself from shuddering at the image of the diminutive maid in his mind. Like a great matriarchal arachnid, it looked like a cross of a praying mantis and a spider that it shocked him to no end. Though she easily puts things into easy understood perspective, like what defines an enemy and an ally, it is her hidden strength that gives him pause. They are eternally and faultlessly loyal yet this diminutive servant is frighteningly powerful. It was as if they function as a hive mind with one thing in focus.

How can we serve the Supreme Beings? What is useful and what is not in the Supreme Beings, those Gods that gave him the absolute mercy of living, in their unfathomable machinations, what was his part as a lowly cog?

He walked affably towards the main doors and waited patiently under the roofed patio, from afar he could see the carriage of the Cardinal. Curiously, he carried no guards with him as evident by the single coachman reining in the horses. It seemed the old man did keep his word about visiting him, though he had never once imagined the one-time Captain of the Scripture to be quite as reckless as this. In any case, it seemed fortunate that he would willingly approach him after that 'sublime' meeting they had. The carriage finally arrived and stopped perfectly under the shade, the door opened from the inside and outstepped the Cardinal of Wind.

Dominic Ihre Partouche.

Nigun smiled and bowed at his visitor, "Welcome Cardinal, our halls and our family greet you."

"I am... glad to be here," the old man rolled his shoulders and looked at him as he alighted, "I believe I have not raided your cellar since your father passed away."

"Indeed your Eminence," he gestured towards the front door and smiled cordially, "I am quite pleased to let you know of my recent acquisition of a fine bottle of wine, please this way, my servants will take care of your coachman and your horses."

From behind a hidden nook two men stepped out and led the horses to the stables, being an aristocrat like Nigun, he was bound to be served by numerous people indebted to his family, like a fiefdom. The Cardinal walked unhurried as the former Captain began the necessary small talk in case someone is indeed eavesdropping. They talked about the weather, life, mundane things until the old man took the first step towards the cellar and he felt a palpable shift in the air.

"What was that?" the Cardinal asked cautiously.

Nigun smiled easily, "Fear not Cardinal Dominic for that was an anti-scrying field for both our protection. The only thing anyone could hear are a monotonous buzzing and if anyone dares to look would be blinded."

 _'The reports of the Thousand League Astrologer was that she was almost blinded by the counter-magic for her Farseer spell when she attempted to divine what happened to the Sunlight Scripture when they were lost in their raids, was this coincidence that they managed to erect such a field?'_ Dominic thought, "I applaud your caution Nigun."

"Indeed your Eminence, none can be too careful in the face of potential allies."

"Correct child."

They both made their way towards the deepest part of the cellar where large wine barrels sit side by side and a table was set aside for them. A couple of bottles were set for them as well as 2 wine glasses. They sat themselves on 2 cushioned chairs as the fallen Captain poured the wine.

"Well, I am not here simply because of your wine collection child," the Cardinal said clearly, "Nigun, I saw a document that belonged to the God of Fire himself that the Pontifex Maximus shared details with us recently, it referenced a symbol about an 8 pointed star representing a wrathful God. Would you happen to know anything about it?"

The former Captain smiled and sipped on his wine glass, "Your Eminence, permit me to tell you a short story about a certain someone, a foolish man that I once knew. Let me begin, there was once a proud person, he was a person of power, by his wealth, skill, power and faith he had trampled all of his enemies underfoot. He zealously upheld the teachings of his God and did his utmost to glorify their names, brave against all enemies, reliant on the blessings of the Gods."

"Until one day, said person encountered a being of unfathomable power and was soundly beaten. Mind, body, and soul, crushed mercilessly to oblivion. Hopeless and abandoned by his Gods, he fell into despair and desperation. Death gnawed at his heels as he fell to their grasp, the scar on his psyche was entrenched so deeply, a single thought of those beings descending on him would drive him into cold sweat and bitter tears."

"A future of torment and suffering awaited him, that is until these beings gazes back at the shattered human and decided to bestow mercy."

"They granted him their 'blessing'," a whimsical smile could be seen on his lips as he continued, "Wherever he was once weak, they made him strong, the frail human self was strengthened beyond what a human could do, his magic was enhanced, his mind tempered further. Their only demand is only loyalty until death, and so the man gave his all and accepted the blessings. He became faster, stronger, more powerful than any human or God-kin there is. A good match against the best that this world can offer, for they made sure that their servants would know no defeat. He became so strong he needed to be careful and be aware of his strength all the time, without any semblance of control then any object is easily pulverized. Most especially human flesh.

"His blessings also gave him magical immunity to feeble spells and would shield except from the most determined, but not all mind intrusions."

Nigun looked at the Cardinal eye to eye and said, "As long as he carries the Mark of his God, then he is Blessed above all."

Dominic's eye widened as he looked at the whole of Nigun's face, there hidden in plain sight and looking like a set of scars presumably from being tortured, was the 8 Pointed Star. Realization finally dawned on him why all the scrying magic and warding spells were not or simply didn't work against him. It was readily assumed and expected that it would not work against him since of his unwavering faith and loyalty to the Theocracy, but looking at him now, it didn't seem to be the case. There was a meaning behind his words and he could not dismiss its implied intent.

"Nigun," the Cardinal said slowly, "You're a heretic."

The fallen Captain gave a small smile and shrugged his shoulders, "My Exalted Lord said by following him I would be branded as such, if by serving him I will be, then let it be so."

"And your purpose of luring me here is to get inside the graces of the Pontifex Maximus?"

Nigun took a sip of his wine and said, "Why get inside his good graces, when you can be the Pontifex himself."

"Blasphemy- this is blasphemy."

"... spare me those words your Eminence," the fallen Captain scoffed, "I have not believed in the Theocracy since I was blessed, they have offered me nothing but damnation, rendered my soul to pieces with each and every genocide I commit in the name of a teaching too mysterious and too far from reality. I would rather serve one who I have felt its touch, its power palpable with every fiber of my being, its favor whom I have earned with my devotion."

"You are mad to think I would consider even aligning myself with you," the Cardinal took a sip of his wine and sat back down on his chair, it wasn't his final words, but it felt like he needed a more convincing reason to join them, "This is rebellion, treason against the Theocracy, what can you guarantee victory? What are you holding into?"

"I can guarantee your survival, whether I fail or succeed my Lords will descend upon the Theocracy without mercy. Either they are greeted as benevolent beings or bloody conquerors, it matters little to them, but if you would ask my preference then I would certainly pick them to be carried aloft as benevolent beings amidst the feverish cries of the impassioned masses."

Dominic kept silent, but the fallen Captain could see the gears in his mind working.

"This invitation is given to you now not because of their interest in you, but because my Lords does not wish unnecessary bloodshed, fear not Cardinal, we are not alone in this endeavor- Apostle Erythro would be more than happy to show you-"

"Erythro?" the Cardinal was shocked, he thought that he was just going to hear a bit of mad raving from the fallen Captain, but this is the gears of a budding rebellion, "Confessor Erythro of the exalted Cleric class? You have converted others to your cause so easily, and a Confessor nonetheless?"

"The methods were quite shocking to him and the truth was presented right before him in a very convincing manner."

Nigun stood up and looked down at him, "I must advice you Cardinal, what I am about to show you can only be done once. If you believe it or not is up to you, I assure you though in case you would not agree with us. There will be no hard feelings, but I would have to ask you to hold your tongue. Do I have your word?"

"What would happen if I would not give my word?" the Cardinal tested, "Would you make it painless?"

The fallen Captain called his bluff and produced a piece of granite stone, he gripped it in his open palm and slowly closed his left hand upon it. Hard stone crumbled and pulverized right before his eyes as the old man spoke no words nor gave any reaction to what he witnessed, "I can assure your Eminence, I can make it so fast it would be painless."

It wasn't hard to decided after that.

"Very well, convince me Nigun and show me what this fallen Confessor has seen."

"Not to fret Cardinal, Apostle Erythro would be here at once-" Nigun turned toward the darkness and said, "Did you hear that Entoma-san? We will need the Apostle of the Supreme Beings after all."

"I will request a [ **Gate** ] at once, standby," a disemboweled voice came from the darkness and suddenly 2 violet glowing orbs appeared from the gloom, "They have agreed, the Apostle is coming."

Dominic still looked unperturbed as a black void of roiling magic opened suddenly behind Nigun, the disemboweled voice finally appeared from the shadows and he could not believe whom it belonged to. It was a diminutive maid with a dress similar to one of the missing treasures, her hairstyle was quite similar to what that old hag, Kaire, used to have in her younger years. He suppressed a chuckle at her memory, indubitably he would have question about the encounter with the Black Scripture that he would need to clear before he can make his decision. It would be not easy to just align himself, he would be abandoning everything he knew, everything he held dear, every principle and ingrained lessons, values, and memories. No, he would open his mind and try to see if he can embrace such words, or if it would be too absurd that he would reject it outright.

Less he witness himself the power and promise of these Beings, then he would keep his decision to himself.

Finally, the mentioned Cleric, nay, Apostle appeared as he stepped out of the blackened [ **Gate** ] spell. He didn't looked different, nor was he mutilated in anyway, in fact, he looked quite healthy and the pale visage on his face is now gone. He used to be quite sickly before, that is why he was not sent to the field, but he was an excellent Confessor. So why was he in arms with the enemy?

"Greetings, your Eminence."

"I suppose my time of being surprised has ended," the Cardinal took a final sip of wine and sat straight on his chair, "Very well, convince me."

Erythro sat down beside the Cardinal and looked him in the eye, "Your Eminence, whatever you see will happen. You do know of the strands of fate that was accessible only to the Thousand League Astrologer? Well, lets just say my ' _blessings_ ' allows me tap into it and see snippets of what is about to come."

Dominic nods his head, "I understand, I will keep an open mind. I give you my word that I shall hold my tongue on whatever I will see, and no soul will know of your heresy."

"He has confessed, and I have heard his confession. There is no lie," Erythro bowed his head and closed his eyes, a remnant of his days as confessor. His spectral eyes could see if a person is lying or not, honorable or dishonorable, their intentions explode in front of him with their colored aura, "Cardinal Dominic, close your eyes and listen to my voice."

The Cardinal sat up straight, took one last look at the bowed fallen Confessor, then to the heretical Captain, and then finally closed his eyes.

.

 _"Open your eyes... Cardinal Dominic~"_

.

Dominic Ihre Partouche opened his eyes and saw that he was now alone inside the cellar. Where did they go then? Did they lie? Is this an excuse to escape his clutches? Was this some kind of ploy to escape him?

"The nerve of those-" a scream could be heard outside as he quickly stood up and made his way up to the 1st floor. As he stepped on the threshold, he could feel a power thrumming in the air, like powerful magic being used near him. Make no mistake, he was a former fighting mage for the Sunlight Scripture and invented new techniques in attack and defending against magic. He could feel magic pouring all around him, he raced outside and felt his jaw drop open. Floating above him is the largest ship he had ever seen in his life, it had no wings, was made of iron, yet it floated like the Flying City of Eryuentiu. Sounds like thunder claps came from the ship as it spewed out dragon fire from above, he looked around and saw where the screams are coming from.

People, ragged and bloodied , ran around him trying to escape as their city seemed to burn in the blackened sky.

He saw rows upon rows of red-robed soldiers carrying a menagerie of weapons marching smartly, towards the burning city, they ignored the citizens as they carried no swords and they weren't even combatants. Such discipline in an army, it was quite something they were attacking this cit-

His blood ran cold and eyes widened, the city was familiar to him, it should be for it is the Capital City of the Slane Theocracy. It burned right before his eyes, a great fire that seemed to consume even where he stood. The thunder clap and the dragon fire from the floating ship was its projectile bombarding his city. The bastion of human superiority in this world was burning, great orbs of energy shot out from the ships and exploded inside the city walls. He was helpless, he could do nothing, he could not have stopped this, or could he-?

Heavy footfalls made him turn behind him and what he saw almost blinded his eyes, giants standing almost 9 feet tall, with wings in heavy gilded armor walked towards him. In their center stood their master, a massive Fallen Angel with inverted wings and a demon mask, they were speaking to each other, but he could not hear their words. Beside the Fallen Angel stood the epitome of death itself, it was _'Surshana the God of Death'_ , yet it was different. He could not believe it, who were these? Is this a dream? But a dream does not feel like this!

"Had enough Cardinal?"

Dominic turned around so hard he felt his neck pop, there standing a few feet away from him was the Fallen Confessor.

"What is this? Is this true?"

The Confessor walked towards him and smiled bitterly, "This is the future, if you intend not to honor your previous vows. If you would directly go to the Pontifex Maximus with the words we have imparted you with, although this is also the future in case the Schism that Nigun is planning should fail. As with his previous words, the Supreme Beings care not if they are carried aloft as Gods, or cursed as Warlords."

Erythro now stood beside the Cardinal as they watched the _'Stellarum Nex'_ blow the city gates to oblivion..

"You can still save them," the Confessor turned Apostle looked again the old man in the eye and said, "Help me and Nigun, and we shall help you with whatever you desire. That way, we can evade this absolute terror hanging above our heads and you can rule over the Theocracy, subject only to the Supreme Beings."

The blackened sky and the burning city disappeared from him as they returned back to the underground cellar. Nigun sat across from him as Erythro finally released his hand from his. Silence remained as they looked at the Cardinal stood up and headed outside.

They were about to follow when he stopped and turned back to them.

"I am not agreeing to your plans, but I will need time to contemplate what must be done. Give me a day and you shall have my answer."

Both Nigun and Erythro lets him go as they looked at him walking away. As soon as he was out of the cellar, Entoma sat down on the vacated seat as the two humans took a glass of wine each.

"H **E** ' **L** l e **X** x **P** Os **E** y **O** u **TW** o~"

"Entoma, please, don't rain on my parade."

The diminutive maid gave a chittering laugh, "Failure is not tolerated by the Supreme Beings~"

"Ugh!" Nigun downed his drink in one go, "I know that, don't remind me. Shadow Demon?"

From the darkness two pair of evil eyes and fanged mouth appeared, "-yes Heretic?"

"As the Supreme Being commands, follow him, but please do not kill him yet. Send him a warning if he wavers, but please do not kill him outright."

The evil face vanished once more and a shadow crawled unnaturally fast where the Cardinal went, the three of them looked at each other as the two humans took their goblets of wine and sipped the sweet liquid inside.

"Nigun?"

"Yes, Erythro?"

The Apostle brought his fingers to his lips and extracted a bug leg.

"Is this a new additive for the wine?" the Heretic turned to where she sat but found her gone.

"ENTOMAAA!"

.

.

Arwintar - Capital of the Baharuth Empire

.

Sammael sat down on one of the large sofa inside his spacious office and took a sip of wine. Across him sat hunched over a piece of parchment was Fluder, he was copying a single page translated by the Warmaster of the divine book he held.

 _The Book of Light 1_

He was surprised to know that the spell books he saved when trying to learn his Tier-1 to 3 spells seemed relevant now. He was pleased and surprised that there were actual lore on the pages of the books and not just blank pieces of paper all binded together. As such he had tasked the old wizard to translate the whole book by using his 1 translated page because they were all written in Japanese. Using the translated page as reference, he aims to make the old man learn the whole book by forcing him to learn Japanese. Once he learns the language, then it is only a simple matter of him reading the books he will provide.

"If I am reading this correctly My Lord, the way the Supreme Beings learn magic is different. You perceive things in a simpler manner and manage to condense such learning and give it object or solidity.

Sammael looked benevolent, but very confused deep inside, _'To tell you the truth I just clicked on that book that showed you a brief description on what it is and VOILA... well, whatever floats your boat Fluder.'_

"Indeed, that is why it is difficult for humans to perceive quickly and why it is almost impossible for you to attain the 10th-Tier. But fret not, if you showed enough progress then I will show you my oldest books yet."

The madness in the old man's eyes returned in full as the thought of reaching the abyss of magic sooner captured his interest once more, "Oh! Oh! I will do everything Master- everything and so much more!"

"I am sure you will. In that end, I require something of you," Sammael sipped on his wine glass and savored the taste of the spirit, "Can you give me suggestions on how the Bloody Emperor can give me 'just cause' to invade or annex the Empire? Of course, I would like to get your input for I value your counsel as much as that man values yours."

"Oh! My Lord, such words from you- truly it is not a mistake to bend my knee and swore my undying fealty," Fluder stroked his long beard and paused from his works, "I do have some ideas in my mind."

The whole afternoon was taken by him and Fluder discussing ways on how to bend the Emperor into decisions that would affect the outcome of the Empire. Especially giving him the excuse to invade the Empire, which is very different from their reasoning in seizing E-Rantel. The basis of the occupation of the Fortress City was simple, with their presence known to the Theocracy and the Re-Estize Kingdom, they will need a very large target upon which to soak up all the aggression of their enemies. By establishing a Kingdom of their own, it diverts the attention away from the Great Tomb and its nearby village. Fortunately, Carne Village has been fortified with the Goblin Troops help and has become their center of New World experiments.

The pharmacy and laboratory of the Bareare was situated in there, it has ample space and large stocks of inventory. Goblins that have decided to live within the village contribute by scouring the Forest of Tob for medicinal plants, likewise, the Dark Elves that were uprooted by the Dark Treant continues to rebuild their old kingdom and have began trading with Carne Village. The other demi-humans, like the Lizardmen constantly trade fish, precious stones from the river estuaries they control and the occasional gold they get from the water. Thus, the only thing missing now are the Dwarves and their runic forge works. Which is why it is crucial that the Azerlisia Mountain Expedition turn out something substantial like a Dwarven City with actual Dwarves LIVING in it.

With evening coming in, Fluder graciously took his leave with the single translated page and the Book of Light 1 and Book of Light 2 tucked tightly under his arm. The business with Fluder took almost a day, thus he had only a few time left for this next part of the plan. Baramus or Baraqiel bowed as he led his last visitor for the day, he opened the door and in stepped Ried Karl Furt. He was looking down and rubbing his hands together in nervousness, he sat himself down and begged at once without being prodded on.

"Master Sammael, I have been burglarized. My home, my sacred home was desecrated-" he began with a chattering voice, the Fallen Angel kept his silence as Baramus stayed on the sides, "-the painting that which you have granted a loan with me was taken. I- I don't know how I can say this, but I cannot pay it."

Baramus produced a staff out of nowhere as Count Furt gulped loudly, it was well known how skilled and strong the servants of Sammael are.

"I gave you the priceless work of art and you gave me your word, is your word not as good as they say?" Sammael's eyes looked dangerous, he was toying with his Ring of Nullification, "Can you give me any suggestion on what you can do to... umm, compensate at least?"

"I do not-"

Baramus stood beside the Count which made him stop speaking, the loyal soldier looked to his Master for direction. And the hapless human grew paler even more.

"There must be something that I still have that you want," Count Furt looked like he was about to blow a gasket in confusion, "I have daughters, I have daughters! I can sell them to you!"

"The painting you have lost is worth at the very least 300 gold pieces, a slave is only worth 20 gold, if its a woman 25, if its a virgin 45, if its a virgin child 80 gold pieces for the _right_ noble." , _'A right one would be a pedo-bear son of a bitch.'_

"I- I have 3 daughters, I can sell you their rights. And one of them-!"

"I'm afraid that is not enough," Sammael stood up and walked over to the window, "Baramus, take our guest and escort him out. I wish to rest now and I shall deal with-"

"-one of my daughter's is a Magic Caster!"

"Hmm."

The Fallen raised his left hand as Baramus grabbed the shoulder of the shaking Count as he was about to manhandle him outside of the office. The soldier lets go as Count Furt knelt in front of the large table, he watched as Sammael turned back to him and sat back down at the table.

"Magic Caster you say?"

Hope is kindled in the eyes of the desperate man as the Count gasped at his good fortune, "Yes, yes! She was one of the promising students of the Tri-Arts Magic Caster Fluder Paradyne however, she quit from the Academy and became an adventurer instead. I will sell her and her twin sisters to you, do to them whatever you wish!"

"They are your children, yet you will sell them...?"

"-if I can live, I can buy them back!"

"Will it be legal?"

"Yes, it will be. I have contacts in the slave trade, I will put them for sale and provide you with their contract papers. Arche! She can earn you as much gold as she can by adventuring, but please spare me!"

Sammael extended his right hand, "Give me your daughters, I will take custody of them. The 3 of them are not enough so you must work for me. I would appreciate any information you can give me about your noble friends, surely not only you have the only child with magic potential among the nobles?"

"Count Furt," the Fallen stood up and headed for the nearby cupboard, he took out another bottle of wine and an extra glass. He poured another one and said, "I will _PAY_ you for any information you can give me about the nobles, anything that is worth knowing. I will take your daughters as payment for the painting, but I will pay you for the information you will give. I just need your word that not a single soul will know of your tattling activities. Do I have your word?"

Count Furt did not even consider the repercussions of his actions as he took the Fallen's Hand and shook it hard.

"I give you my word."

A few minutes later and with his pockets laden with gold, he stepped outside of the office and was escorted out of the premises. Baraqiel and Zadkiel knelt in front of the Supreme Being's table, he nods his head and both disguised Angels sat on the plush chairs.

"Any word on the black market where the painting is now?"

Baraqiel nods and said, "According to Leliel's spy, they followed the brigands that looted the painting towards the Re-Estize Kingdom. The black market is afire with the news of the high quality items we are turning out, but the enmity between the Baharuth Empire and Re-Estize Kingdom dampens the flow of goods, stricter security protocols, somewhat higher tariffs, additional taxation on the merchants, and prohibited merchandises just to name a few. As such, the black market and free merchants are the only avenues that we can use to spread our products."

"At least we have an avenue to wriggle ourselves in, any word on the Elven Kingdom?"

Zadkiel nods next and gave his report, "The 3 Princes have consolidated power and have begun rebuilding, they report that their walls have been finished and have secured at least the city from any monsters that might come calling. They have not stabilized their food production yet as they have recently relocated, but the forest has not been stingy to them. Additionally, with more living spaces and their proximity to the forest, they are most grateful and could not express their overflowing happiness with their current situation. They have sent this gift for you-"

The Angel opened an ornate box and there were several severed heads inside. He looked down at the gruesome gift and then back at his Angel with a dumbfounded expression on his face, "What the hell is this for?"

"Apparently, there are some denizens of the Elven Kingdom that does not wish to bow to you, the 3 Princes sent their heads to you in a show of fealty."

"I appreciate their gift," the Fallen smiled, so even the New World denizens hold their oaths to heart, "Send them my regards and have them be at ease of heart. Concentrate on rebuilding, until such time that they are able to stand on their own as a country."

"By the way, try to find out what the Elven Kingdom used to export to other nations."

All three of them were still discussing the items they would be trading when a knock came from the door. Baraqiel stood up and then went to the door, opening it slightly, a piece of paper was thrust to his hand as the Magos who carried it bowed and retreated back to where he came from. The Angel General took a moment to read the message and quickly walked back to the Warmaster.

"My Lord, urgent message from the Expedition Force-"

"-to the Dwarven City?"

"Aye."

Sammael quickly grabbed the piece of paper and scanned the message from the paper. He stood up and nods his head, "Baraqiel, muster your ship and your Legion. Send relief at once, you lead them. I need proof that dwarves survive, establish contact and then inform me or Ainz?."

The addressed Angel stood up and immediately puts a hand on his left chest, "As you command My Lord, I will reactivate the ' _Heavenly Bolt_ ' at once."

He opened a [ **Gate** ] and stepped inside the portal at once leaving Zadkiel and Sammael alone.

"My Lord, would it be alright if only Baraqiel engage any enemies at the Azerlisia Mountains? He could encounter someone more powerful than him-"

"-yes, he might. But he would need the experience. If I actually do not need you here running things around the Trading House then I would send you there too, but I need you here, so let's get back to what we were discussing."

"Aye sir."

The Fallen and his remaining General discussed their plans further including the subjugation of the Theocracy and the movements they will be doing that coincide with the Undead Overlord will be doing in regards to the simultaneous annexation of the Re-Estize Kingdom and the Baharuth Empire.

.

.

Capital of the Re-Estize Kingdom

.

Princess Renner Vaiself, the Golden Princess of the Re-Estize Kingdom, took a stem of a chrysanthemum flower and snipped it with a gardening scissor. Her delicate hands daintily laid the flower on her flower basket as she smiled beautifully in the early morning sunshine. Not too far from her stood a young knight in white shining armor, his sword hung on his belt and his blonde hair was in a state of slight disarray. It was not just the two of them, but for the young Knight, it felt like they were in their own world. Though such thoughts are only fitting for dreams, but they are still dreams nonetheless for this young Knight.

"Climb, come here," the Princess beckoned for him to approach, as he reached where she kneeled in front of the flower bed. Renner gently placed a flower on a niche on his chest plate as she smiled warmly at him, "It suits you."

Climb bowed his head respectfully, "I am grateful for your gift Princess, I am honored to be in your service."

A shadow seemed to pass the face of the Golden Princess as she heard the knight's words of adoration, but it was only a fleeting moment as her face showed the bright smile as before.

"Your Highness," an adjutant came from a side entrance and announced loudly to get her attention, "I present the members of Blue Rose, Lady Lakyus and Lady Gagaran"

A boisterous voice laughed as the adjutant sweated uncomfortably as the larger of the two females loomed over him, "Lady!? Hear that Lakyus, I'm a lady! Say, want to have a few tussle with me? Just for a night?"

"Let's go Gagaran, you'll break the poor man's spine if you continue to advance."

The 'tank' of the group gave a smile and winked at the nervous adjutant, "See you tonight darling."

They approached the Golden Princess as she waited at the two of them right beside her flower bed, Climb kept his chin up, but as soon as the two of them arrived he bowed slightly as a sign of respect for the lady.

"Aha! Still a virgin I see?"

Lakyus looked cross at her, "Will you stop teasing the young man please?"

"Want me to pop your cherry?"

"Gah!"

Princess Renner laughed daintily at Climb's reaction of blushing and declining profusely, but deep inside, _'S **o DaM** mn C **Ut** E!'_

"Your Highness, I would like to discuss something with you, this is in regards to the groups you wanted us to keep tabs on."

"Ah," Renner gave a sign of recognition as she stood up and gestured for everyone to follow, "I do hope you have good news for me."

"I have good news and bad news, which one would you want first?"

"My dear Lakyus, there is only news. There is no good or bad."

"Remember the cult you wished investigated? They're all dead."

The Golden Princess stopped in her tracks and looked back at the leader of Blue Rose, "My word, that us bad news."

"Anything good coming out of that encounter?"

"Well, it seems that we are not the only one who is coming after Zuranon and Eight Fingers," Lakyus walked side by side with the Princess as she entered a shaded room overlooking her flower garden.

"Do we know of anyone who would have the motive? Additionally, how did you come by this information?"

"We encountered an agent, an agent that was reportedly dead in an encounter with the S-Rank adventurer Momon the Black," each and everyone sat themselves on the lawn chairs near the shade as a servant laid down hot tea and sweet biscuits. Climb took his usual place standing a few paces away from his liege, "Clementine, the disgraced former member of the Black Scripture. We encountered her on that skirmish and she was quite ' _different_ ' if I may say so."

"Different? How so?"

"Your Highness," Lakyus sighed as she took a sip from her tea, "She was stronger, her deadly speed was enhanced by something- I cannot explain. But it felt very, very dangerous back then to face her."

"For an Adamantium Rank adventurer like you to take pause at an enemy, then I can only imagine what you felt facing her then," Princess Renner took a sip of her own tea and nods her head, "I am analyzing the situation, powerful beings were reported by the Head Warrior to be helping a village on the frontier. Not long after that the Black Scripture was encountered on the outskirts of E-Rantel, a few miles away from the same village that the Sun Scripture was encountered."

"We were not aware that special units from the Theocracy were adamant on attacking E-Rantel," the leader of Blue Rose looked concerned, "I wasn't even aware that the Theocracy was in E-Rantel."

"Were they undermining the authority of the King?"

"I do not think so, there were evidence to point out otherwise."

Lakyus shook her head, "Ah, it seems the noble faction wished to weaken the position of the King and the Crown am I right?"

"Indeed, it is very fortunate that Gazef-dono was provided assistance by an unknown magic caster."

"Is it the same one that is the King of the Sorcerer Kingdom?"

"Yes, the same undead. Now, these are special units to fight the enemies of the Theocracy, I believe they are there for an entirely different reason," Renner sipped at her tea and smiled at Climb, "I may need some time to think the reasons and motives why they would be there in the first place."

"By the way, where are the other Blue Roses?"

"Oh? I sent Tia and Tina on a reconnaisance mission on our leads about Eight Fingers, Evil Eye took some time off."

"I see," Princess Renner looked at the warm sky, her eyes reflecting a deeper purpose with a large dose of hope thrown in. Little did the rest of them know that thr Golden Princess had already gotten the gist of most of the reasons why the Theocracy's agents were there. Maybe, just maybe if these new forces can measure up, well, she might need to initiate contact or at least feed them a line, if they are up to it.

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Meanwhile

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"Our preparations are done to settle in the city, we have begun to establish contacts within and now will begin preparations for phase 2."

"The mansion has been secured," Solution stood up, her face indifferent as usual, "Sebas-sama, we will now send the 'go ahead' to the Great Tomb. Shall we send the invitations to the nobles of this kingdom?"

"As soon as possible, we must make it final," the old butler's face was hard and unyielding, "And we are alone Solution, we are both equal to the eyes of the Supreme Beings."

Together with the fall of E-Rantel, many nobles, both high and low of bearing made the exodus to the capital of the Re-Estize Kingdom. The sudden influx of nobles meant that this is the perfect time to go with the refugees. As such, Sebas and Solution was sent ahead to plot the next phase of an operation that was orchestrated by Demiurge. However, they would need to dig in deep first to get the feel on the lifeline on this city. Projected completion of this plan would be 2 years according to the Guardian and the Supreme Beings approved the plan. It is in their hope now that everything falls into place.

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 **To be continued**

(A/N: And... here I GO AGAIN!)

Chapter 3 has been re-written.

Count Erythro is an OC inserted on Chapter 7 of this fic.

Cheers,

Scarabeye3000


	14. The Dwarven City

Disclaimer: Seriously, I would have owned Overlord if I'm a _gazilllionaire_ , sadly I am not. So, tough then.

 **Title: Heaven or Hell**

Chapter 14 - The Dwarven City

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Azerlisia Mountain

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Gondo Firebeard panted as he ran through the old passageways that was connected to the ancient city of Feo Berkana. He could not understand it, why were the Quagoa out in force today? For some reason, they seemed to have been riled up by something. It couldn't have been him of course, why would they waste time on an old dwarf miner like him.

It didn't bloody make sense!

He made another turn and froze in his tracks, there was a pack of Quagoa at the end of the passageway. They were standing in front of a collapsed section as they tried vainly to penetrate the hard rock.

"I am telling you now," a blue furred Quagoa said to another red furred one, "We have tried to claw our way through, but this stone only crumbles in large boulder like chunks. It is too heavy to lift so easily and too hard for us to bite on. It is impossible to go faster, we have to haul out the chunks first and then go back for more."

"Have you tried going around and digging for a parallel shaft?"

"We did," another blue haired one replied, "We encountered the same metal/stone that is too concentrated for us to dig through. Where do you think are the rest of our team? They've been resting due to stomachache as they tried to eat their eay through, and those that forced to dig had to regrow their claws and is out of commission. Those iron-men have not only poisoned the stones, but made it impossible for us to burrow in it"

The red furred one made an impatient noise but relented, "Very well, I shall report your progress to our Clan Lord."

The Quagoa turned around and headed to where Gondo stood. Panicked, the dwarf quickly dove for cover between two large stone pillars. He dared not look as the stomping of the creatures made its way past him. He waited for a few minutes more until finally even the group of the blue furred Quagoa marched out grumbling with themselves at the difficulty of their situation. Gondo Firebeard sat still, unmoving, and almost non-breathing to ensure he would not reveal himself. Finally, after a few tense minutes he gathered the courage to stand up and go to the collapsed passageway.

He stood in front of the mounds of stone and rock and saw it was dense with iron. No wonder the Quagoa had difficulties penetrating it. This was no simple rock and stone, this was concrete and it is simply too hard for just sharpened claws.

It would take forever to go through this without iron tools. Unless you are not familiar with this place, thankfully, he was a miner and there were telltale signs of a parallel tunnel from those who first carved this passageway on the ancient city.

"Should be around here," Gondo pushed down on a group of stalagmites and a hole appeared near him, it was a collapsible trapdoor hidden under a boulder. Carefully, he lowered himself to the dwarf sized space and began crawling on all fours. This secret tunnel was actually not a secret since it was made to probe the viability for a larger passageway. Dwarven engineers also found it prudent to make access ways in case there were cave-ins.

He crawled through the dark until he reached the first exit. Grasping for the switch to open the door, he poked his head and found it was darkened by a cave-in. Once more he ducked back to the access tunnel and crawled towards the next exit point. Most people would have been claustrophobic within such a small space, the darkness, and the press of the stone on your body, but then again he was a dwarf and they were all born to work with stone. Until finally, on the 2nd to the last exit he was able to breach light. Dusting himself off as he pulled out of the access hole, he closed the exit again and headed through the open passage.

The light at the end of the tunnel signaled that this passageway led outside, he followed it to the end and found a curious metal object. It was circular, like a large metal bowl, with a rod and cylindrical object suspended on top of the dish. Aimed at the sky and set upon a stable tripod, he approached cautiously and found blinking lights on a side panel. Curiosity gripped him hard since he had never seen this kind of equipment and for what purpose does it serve. Unbeknownst to him, two sets of eyes looked at him from afar, their cross hairs zooming in at his small frame as they whispered on vox receivers.

"Is that a dwarf?"

"It could be," he tapped on his wrist panel and dialed the dormant Magos, "Magos Vestigo M4314, possible visual on _'special contact'_ assignment."

A few muffled beeps and clicks returned, then a scratchy voice said, "Repeat transmission."

"Possible visual on _'special contact'_ does not look to be armed. Orders?"

Another set of clicks and beeps as reply, then the sniper rifle was retracted and the two Legionnaires finally broke cover.

.

Gondo touched the mysterious object and felt the smoothness of the forged metal. He also took note that the bonds of metal on metal is unlike what forge works that they know of. It is of such high quality that its insane, perfection at the most mundane objects.

 _'No dwarf could have made this fine material and at such fine thinness that it should be brittle, but its actually not.'_

"Who could have made this? Its so smooth and round..." he gushed as he looked down at the relay beacon, "Its almost perfectly curved."

"They were made and designed by the Supreme Beings."

"GAHHHhhh!" the dwarf screeched at the top of his lungs as the two hooded legionnaires appeared behind him. He backed away so fast he tripped on a piece of rock and rolled over to a boulder. His vision swam as he sat on the cold stone floor, he could hear boots approaching him as he tried to refocus his senses.

"Ugh!" he shook his head to remove the cobwebs, but a set of glowing eyes appeared in front of him, "Please do not hurt me."

"Fear not," the legionnaire knelt in front of him and puts a hand on his shoulder, "For we are not here to hurt you. We are actually seeking out your city."

"Old man's beard," he sat up straighter as he saw two more legionnaires join them, "Why are you seeking our city?"

"Our leader will discuss this further with you-" the legionnaire stopped speaking and quickly stood up. From the exit, more legionnaires came running out as sounds like cracking branches came with them. Finally, a tall lithe man with red hooded robes came striding out, he made a beeline towards him and the dwarf almost backed away again.

"Greetings, I am Magos Vestigo M4314."

"I am Gondo- Gondo Firebeard, welcome to the dwarven realm Magos...?"

"You may call me Vestigo for short."

"Right, so, what are your people doing here in the first place?"

"We are seeking out your city-"

"-he said that," he pointed to the legionnaire standing guard near them, "I mean what is your purpose in seeking out our city?"

"Runesmithing."

"Best of luck with that," Gondo chuckled as he stood up and brushed himself off, "Only the old masters of the forge know about rune smithing, probably numbered about less than a baker's dozen if you include me at least."

Magos Vestigo's brain almost went haywire at that, his augmented mind screamed 'OBJECTIVE!' at him, "You are a Runesmith?"

"I consider myself to be, my father was part of the Royal Family's Runesmith cadre, I was under his apprenticeship when they-"

He stopped talking as the Magos nods his head to the Legionnaire, they could hear the roar of the Quagoa from the tunnel where he came out, "Did you perhaps open any passages to go through here?"

"Yes?"

"That should explain it," the Magos led him away as the crack of the weapons resounded near them, "The vicious beast are attacking en masse, we need to move and get you back to the Dwarven City."

Then his senses finally caught up and he could hear the loud roaring of those vicious creatures that laid waste to their ancient kingdom. From the mouth of the cave, a firing line of Skitarii Legionnaires fired and shot any enemy that peered on the side of the wall. The whip cracks he was hearing were the magical rod these hooded soldiers carried into battle. With every crack a long thin line of fire would extend and strike anyone or anything it was aimed at. It was fascinating how it worked and with every shot fired a Quagoa goes down. But the sheer number of the amassing creatures was beginning to spill over, while those at the back pushed their clan members and snarled ' _FORWARD!'_ those at the front who faced the weapons of the Skitarii cried _'BACK!'_ as they met a quick end with their enemy's mysterious weapons.

The Magos saw and began calculations on his mind, for every creature that fell, 2 more replaces them in battle. He nods at one of the Skitariis and the soldier quickly began to gather round metal objects from each and every one of his surviving comrades. He puts it in a satchel bag and stuffs it further with a brick of gray clay, he took out a trigger mechanism, inserts it at the quite surprisingly soft but firm gray clay brick and dexterously throws it at the gathering horde on the passageway.

Magos Vestigo watched as the satchel sailed through the air and land in the middle of the rampaging horde about to spill out of the passageway, as the satchel smacked a charging Quagoa in the face an audible beep could be heard coming from the Magos, "Fire in the hole."

Gondo ducked and rolled on the stone floor as he felt and heard an enormous explosion. The blast collapsed the whole passageway, destroyed all the Quagoa caught in it, and threw all the Skitarii soldiers manning the exit into the ground. The passageway exit was now a smoldering ruin, the dwarf couldn't believe his eyes. For years, long before they lost the ancient city, they were unprepared against the coming of these creatures from the darkness. Oh sure, dwarves are mighty warriors and stable on their feet, but against such numbers it was simply difficult to win. A fully armed and armored dwarven soldier can probably kill 1 or 2 Quagoa at the same time, but these creatures attack as a horde and are quite fast and good at tunneling their way through ground and stone. That is why it was difficult to fight them, but these soldiers and their weapons are something else. By fighting in a distance, they have eliminated the need to close in and increased their chance of surviving.

"Gondo Firebeard," the Magos returned to his field of vision as the dust settled down, "Can you escort us to your city? We wish to discuss commerce with your Elders."

"Very well, but I cannot guarantee that my countrymen would be so welcoming."

"That is for our ambassadors to rectify," the leader then turned to his men and issued clicks and beeps, they all moved as one and began packing up their things including the relay beacon that the dwarf saw earlier, "I must ask though, what seems to be the reason you are wandering in such a dangerous part of your realm? You are not a soldier, nor a scout, then you told us you were a runesmith correct?"

"First and foremost, I am a miner," he sighed as sadness seemed to grip his eyes, " and I was also the son of the great Master Runesmith."

"And what is the state of your craft today?"

"Its not the trend anymore ever since the invention of the Tiered magic. It was considered obsolete since you can easily enchant your weapon with just the right spell," he took out a small knife and began gesturing to the knife as if trying to describe what he meant, "Its basically putting runes of power in a sword, thereby making it able to be wreathe in fire, or gush forth water or whatever effects you wish. But a runed weapon is rarer than a vein of adamantium the size of a mountain these days, in fact, I haven't seen one in quite a while."

"You mean like this?" the Magos took out his power sword and Gondo's eyes widened, it was a broadsword with 10 runes on it, stamped with 5 on each side. Vestigo then activated his power sword and it thrummed with power, arcs of energy travelling from the pommel to the tip and a bluish hue seemed to envelope the sword. Curiously though, there are no stamps on who made the weapon, "My power sword is a standard issue by the Artificer Magos on the Stellarum Nex Manufactorum."

"This is impossible! How can this be!?"

"It is not my function to understand such artificer works since my specialty lie elsewhere, however if your comrades could commence in trade with our nation, I am sure it would not be hard to give such information to you and your brethren."

"In that case, follow me," Gondo spoke softly as he led the unknown soldiers and the Magos towards the remaining Dwarven City of Feo Jera, a frontier city that was planned to handle all the commerce coming from the outside world, but after the attack of the Quagoa and the Frost Dragons, all administrative and the seat of the government was transferred there. Unbeknownst to him, the Magos spoke in binary and ordered one of the remaining Skitarii's to activate his beacon so their reinforcement could follow them.

Unfortunately though, because of the constant snow storms it was quite difficult to pinpoint their location using the forces under Baraqiel. But make no mistake, he would do everything in his abilities and would relay their position so that the Warmaster may have his prize.

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Re-Estize Kingdom

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On a grand mansion overlooking a large section of the Royal Capital, a few stoic looking men gathered outside on the terrace. The ground floor held more men and the surrounding walls and gates were also manned with guards armed with swords and spears. They were guarding the mansion of a well-known prostitute, her name was Hilma Cygnaeus, and she was one of the arms of Eight Fingers and head of the Drug Trade within the Kingdom. She has poppy plantations on both the Baharuth Empire, the Kingdom and some remote parts of the Theocracy. Indeed her reach in the drug trade is quite far and no competitor is able to push her out of business. For her drug trade was incorporated in her whore house and brothels that catered on the upper crust and the middle class of society.

Basically, anyone that can pay would get a taste of both heaven or hell, depending on your fetish of course.

And so, her other associates, the other ' _executives_ ' of Eight Fingers gathered around a large round table deep within her mansion.

"So? What about our operations within the 'City of the Dead'?"

"Quite impossible to say," an old man stroked his long beard and shrugged his shoulders, "With it being occupied, I am pretty sure the Empire would abstain from this year's annual war. I am not sure about the Kingdom, though it seems they have given up their claim of E-Rantel. For now at least."

"Any news on our remaining agents?"

Hilma took a long drag on her pipe and shrugged her shoulders, "The masters of that city allowed the brothels to continue thus, I have instructed my girls to go back. Though business is slow and there seemed to be not much customers within since the nobles have all but been driven away or escaped back to the neighboring cities."

"Its such a drag," Cocco Doll, leader of the Slave Trade shook his head, "With the Re-Estize Kingdom cutting back on the Slave Trade, I was thinking of relocating my headquarters at the Empire or the Theocracy!"

"You would risk entry into the Theocracy?"

"At least they know the value of a good demi-human slave, either labor, pleasure, or just plain zealotry. Who cares?" he shrugged his shoulders and slouched on his seat, "As long as gold still flows, there's not going to be any problem right?"

The Executive Leader nods his head, "How about our black market? Any particulars that we need to take note of?"

"There is a new merchant in the Baharuth Empire that seems to be churning out goods that are of high quality."

"And?"

"And the volume trade limit, high tariffs, and poor roads towards the Empire generally makes for a very lucrative transfer of goods," the head of the Smuggling Division smiled underneath his hood, "Quite recently, our agents acquired a whole lot of high quality art works."

He took out a statue of the 'naked David' and even the Executive Leader grinned under his own hood, "As you can see, this is only an example of one of the art works. If we can secure a line through this merchant and they would be, shall we say, susceptible to our ' _arrangements_ ' then it would be very lucrative for all of us."

"What if he isn't?"

"We can always force a deal," Zero said under his hood.

"We can't always force a deal," Hilma interjected, "This is a merchant we are talking about, a powerful one if I may say so since they make high quality items. If we can learn a bit more about him, perhaps we can integrate within his inner circle."

"Excellent idea," the Executive leader nods his head, "The Baharuth Empire still deals in slavery, maybe we can entice him to deal in our slaves. Consecutively, can you send some of your best girls on that city Hilma and of course supported by Cocco Doll?"

"Its because you requested it, then we will make it so," Cocco Doll inclined his head slightly and took a sip of his tea, "I do hope our colleagues in the Six Arms would help us in case we do attain a contact?"

Zero grinned, "You betcha."

The Executive Leader nods his head satisfactorily, "Now that is done, let us move on to other issues. How about the sudden influx of nobles in the Royal Capital?"

"I am throwing a party for the newly arrived nobles, males mostly of course," it was Hilma again who interjected, "We can use this party to introduce our drugs to these far-flung nobles and thus they would be easily under our sway."

"Excellent."

The meeting continued with more matters concerning the encroachment of smaller crime lords, the taxes from associated crime gangs, the flow of revenues from all Fingers and divisions, their reaction to the numerous policies they would take in regards to the laws of the Baharuth, Re-Estize, and the Theocracy. And of course, a more detailed approach in regards to the Sorcerer Kingdom. Unbeknownst to them a shadow hid under the base of the 'Statue of David' as they pushed it towards the side within the shadows, with more room to maneuver the Shadow Demon made its way out of the room and into the open.

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Baharuth Empire - Arwintar

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A girl with short blonde hair stood ramrod straight in front of his large desk, on her left and right stood 2 smaller girls that looked exactly alike. Twins that looked nervously at their elder sister, then back at the scary man, then back at their sister as she held her two siblings hand tightly. The eldest of the 3 bit her lips in annoyance and anger, her father sat on a chair on the side as their new 'master' looked at them inquisitively.

"State your name child."

Tsk! Her annoyance and defiance reflected on her face as she spat out, "I am Arche Eeib Rile Furt."

"She doesn't seem happy at all isn't she?"

"Oh please, please, she just had a bad day, but I assure you her skills are more than enough to compensate."

"Hmm? Well, I suppose if my own father sold me, I would also feel the same."

 _'Stupid father!'_ she screamed within as she grits her teeth at his father's stupidity. The moment he brought in that painting she knew it would bring their family more ruin than she could handle. He actually had the gall and stupidity to sell even the twins, to drag them into this mess, she couldn't believe the surreal feeling of it all. Their father, who professed his love for all of them, who should be protecting them and guiding them in their life, actually SOLD THEM. Sold them to this merchant because of a loan he could not pay and a loan he shouldn't have gotten in the first place. But she could only grit her teeth at their misfortune, since she is still under their household and had not been declared separate, thus her father is still the one who decides on their fate.

But this just sucks!

"I hope this would satisfy my debt to you?"

"We shall see."

Arche looked at his father, never had he shown such reverence towards another person. Except those that are above and beyond what riches they used to possess. She only saw her father be this affected when he met those of the higher nobility or someone above him in peerage. Like a Count or Earl, Marquis or even a Duke, but this merchant shook his father like she had never witnessed before and this made her pause and evaluate the merchant even more. This merchant didn't seem different at all from the wealthy individuals that hired them at the past. Her 'talent' also showed him to be not possessing of anything remotely of any magic.

Their father gave them one last look and then turned back to the merchant and bowed, "Well then, Master Samuel. I bid you farewell now."

Arche and the twins looked on as their father abandoned them, there was an irritating pang on her heart as they were left in the care of a stranger. Nay, less in a care, and more like a property sold since all three of them were technically slaves. Though their father assured them that he would buy them back, it was never mentioned how he would do so such a claim. Their new master looked at them from where he stood, his eyes boring into hers as if waiting for her reaction, but before she could speak his words disarmed her at once.

 _"Do not be afraid~"_

Trust is never easily earned, but she suddenly felt relaxed and at ease as he spoke those 4 words to them.

"Come, I wish to speak with you three."

As if a spell was broken, Arche protectively puts the two girls behind her as Samuel sat down on his chair, "What are you doing girl? I am your Master am I not? Come, let them speak to me."

Hesitantly, she released their hands and the two stepped in front of their elder sister. They looked at the sitting man in front of them and stared at him with their wide doe eyes, unsure of their new benefactor and what will be their life now under his care.

 _"Come children~"_

Something triggered within Arche as she looked on at her twin sisters approaching the mysterious merchant with absolute confidence. She blinked rapidly and returned to her senses, was that a charm spell? But she didn't felt any magic from him. So, if he didn't use magic, then why are the twins, who are usually shy about strangers now stood in front of the man looking at him expectantly.

 _"What are your names then~?"_

The young girl did a small curtsy and gave him a small bow before answering, "My name is Ureireka-"

"-and my name is Kuudereika," the other one also gave a curtsy as they both stood straight at the same time.

 _"Well, my name is Samuel~"_ the merchant gave his name and smiled, his golden eyes, long black hair and almost glowing skin disarmed them all. But it was his voice that actually made them all stop and think that, maybe he is not so bad. _"Never fear children, you are safe with me~"_

There was that feeling again, why would she feel like this every single time he would speak. Realization dawned on her as she guessed on his abilities.

 _'Perhaps- he has a passive ability?'_

Samuel smiled down at the 2 children and asked, _"Well, are you two hungry~? Join me for a bite of breakfast then~"_

Clapping loudly, the double doors opened and brown robed servitors filed inside carrying trays laden with breakfast. Bacon, eggs, sausages, mashed potatoes, soft white bread, oatmeal and assorted fruits. The twins hadn't had breakfast like this in a while, nor does Arche ever since their fall from the grace of nobility. A table was set near one of the windows and they sat on their respective chairs. The twins were looking at the food hungrily, but dared not touch them.

 _"Go ahead children~ Eat now and fill yourselves~"_

Ure and Kuu looked at Arche for approval and she hesitantly nods her head, feeling the hunger pangs her sisters herself. She then looked at their new Master Samuel and she also began taking portions for her breakfast.

Samuel also took food and began eating, "You must be wondering why I bought you and your sister right?"

"S-somewhat... am I to join you in-" she hesitated and blushed profusely, "-in bed?"

The Fallen Angel stopped eating and looked at her with a neutral face, then he gave a small laugh. Which blew up into a full blown laughter that made the twins stop eating and look up at him with confused smiles on their little faces.

Arche on her behalf looked miffed at their new Master's attitude towards her. He actually laughed at her- "Why are you laughing?!"

"Oh- oh damn it! Forgive me-" he shuddered as he stop his giggling fit, "Its just that... was that the first thing on your mind? Who would have thought that you would have such vile thoughts already?"

The eldest sibling of the Furts blushed redder as Samuel teased her, "It can't be helped- most men buy women slaves for their pleasure-"

 _"I assure you child, that is something I would not wish to visit on you~"_ their Master resumed eating, "No, I require a native of the Baharuth Empire to look after the store, my store in case one or more of my direct assistants are indisposed. Currently, I have four that I would have you meet later. Since you can use magic then I will send you with the caravans to find any viable products to sell. From wine, household items, weapons, potions, whatever we might need and sell for a profit. Thus that is the reason why I need you, additionally, you have established contacts within the Empire and beyond with your outside works, so you are just perfect for the job."

"Why me though?"

"Why not? You were a former student at the Empire's Magic Academy and was held in high regard by Fluder himself. It would be a waste for you to serve as a line worker or a mere soldier perhaps," Samuel took the platter of fruit then offered it to the twins, "Additionally, you are a magic caster. These caravans carry valuable items in stock, you may need to defend yourself more than once in a while."

Arche seemed satisfied as she nods in understanding, "What about the twins?"

Samuel sighed as he looked at the identical girls in front of her, "I once had children you know, there were two of them. Twins to be exact."

"W-what happened?"

His eyes conveyed all the answer Arche needed, "They are far from me now."

"I- I see," the girl nods and continued eating. The implied meaning already understood.

"Additionally, your sisters need education and it is imperative that children know their letters and numbers," Samuel continued eating while the twins seemed oblivious to the two of them talking, "Of course, they are too young for school. So, I shall assign them tutors. When they grow older and already knowledgeable enough then I can assign them to my planned expansion to the Re-Estize Kingdom, or maybe the Holy Kingdom. Time will tell, but they must be set right if they would ever make their mark in this world."

Arche couldn't believe it, their Master was implying that he has basically adopted the twins.

"But why?"

"What do you mean why?"

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because I want to," Samuel sighed as he took a mouthful of apple, "Don't think too much about it, just make sure not to defy me and be faithful and we would be good to go."

"What about my status as an adventurer of the Baharuth Empire?"

Samuel chuckled at that, "You're not _really_ an adventurer right? You're a ' _Worker_ '."

"H-how did you know that?" the girl paled as her Master revealed that information.

"Child," Sammael said it with a deadpan voice, "I pay much gold to be well-informed of any city that I go into. If a daughter from a disgraced noble family suddenly becomes an illegal adventurer then I would certainly hear of it."

She had underestimated her new Master, who would have thought that he would have probably knew everything about her. Then how about-

"If your thinking about the teammates that you have, the dual wielding swordsman, the non-committal priest and the half-elf woman, I can assure you that as long as they don't interfere with my business we are all good to go," Samuel shrugged his shoulders and sighed as he finished eating and poured the twins hot chocolate from a fresh pot, _"You may pursue your business with your Worker friends I will not hinder you, but when I call, I expect you to answer at once. Is that understood Arche~?"_

Such power behind his words, it stumped her as Arche was compelled to bow respectfully, her forehead almost touching the table. She couldn't believe his words, such freedom for a slave from a new Master.

"Yes, my Lord."

The Fallen smiled at her, "Very good," then turned back to the twins to dote on them. She visibly began to relax as she felt that their new Master genuinely means what he just said. Additionally, she would find no need to doubt his words yet. Still, she would need to be cautious of his movements, in the off chance that everything should change, then she and her twin sisters should be able to live away from here. Unbeknownst to her, their new Master's power was beyond reckoning and she would felt its embrace much sooner than she expected.

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Azerlisia Mountain

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Gondo Firebeard gulped a lungful of air as he stood on the sealed gate of the garrison of Feo Jera. They arrived without no further incident to the fortified gate that is the strongest line of defense of the dwarves against the Quagoa and their large numbers. Fortunately, these creatures have not made any ingenious crafts that would be considered siege works, so the whole gate was protected by a wall and on its back lie the only bridge from the inner of the Azerlisia Mountains towards the last frontier city of Feo Jera. A very deep chasm separates the side where the fortification is towards the fortified inner gate of the last dwarven city. In case of a siege with the forces coming from Feo Berkana, then if the garrison would not hold then they would collapse the bridge and cut off any means of attack from within. Their enemies would be forced on a roundabout way to the side of the mountain risking the wrath of the Frost Giants. As such, the dwarves maintained this static defense and defended it from each and every threat that came knocking from the abyss. Imagine their surprise when they saw one of their kin, with strangers that looked human coming in from the direction of the old capital looking harried and exhausted.

From above an irate looking soldier dwarf shouted on the top of his lungs, "I cannot let you in with strangers in tow!" the senior soldier shouted back, "Additionally, what the hell are you doing in the prohibited areas anyway!?"

"The same way we all need to live, MINING! Now let us in!"

"I cannot! You know the rules! Turn back and go the other way around!"

"You would have us go outside to the mountain cliffs? What about the Giants!?"

"I cannot open the gate, scouts report that something has riled the Quagoa into moving and the Elders ordered this gate to be sealed shut without any exemption!"

"Who the hell do you think the Quagoa were pursuing anyway that just came from the old Capital!?"

Realization slowly dawned on the commanding dwarf as he finally shouted, "Open the Gates!"

Gears turned and creaked as the massive mithril gates of Feo Jera began to open, its old hinges puffing out dust clouds as they sat undisturbed for years. Their joints and moving parts dry from almost a decade of disuse is slowly, but continuously being opened. Gondo and Magos Vestigo stood side by side as the doors fully opened and they were welcomed by a veritable wall of spears. From a side entrance, the commander of the garrison turned at the formed dwarven soldiers and shouted with much authority.

"Yanad Durinul! Baruk karas!"

Immediately, the armored dwarves parted to allow the group of red hooded men and a dwarf to pass. As soon as they were clear of the door, the dwarven soldiers formed again to create a wall of spear as the massive doors began to shut itself together again. As soon as Gondo reaches the garrison commander, they immediately got into a heated argument.

"You did not answer me, why are you in Feo Berkana a restricted area for our people?"

"I was supposed to go to Feo Raizo-"

"-that is also a restricted area-"

"-which nobody follows anyway," Gondo insisted, "Show me a dwarf that actually listened once on what can one and cannot do, I was driven back by the patrolling Quagoa and certain circumstances made me take a detour on one of the passageways near the old Capital. I found that there were signs of battle and I decided to investigate-"

"-so, your a warrior too now? Do you fancy yourself a hero?"

"Would you let me finish?" the miner said exasperatedly, "As I was saying, I followed the access tunnel and saw it was blocked off by the Quagoa. I found an access shaft parallel to it so I moved from there, and at the overlook of the tunnel I found them."

The garrison commander's brow was still furrowed and scratched his bearded chin in thought, "And who are these people?"

It was the Magos' cue, "Greetings, I am Magos Vestigo 4314, I was sent as an envoy by the Sorcerer Kingdom to establish trade and commerce with your great city."

"We hadn't had trade ever since the Baharuth Empire stopped using rune items centuries ago," the commander rubbed his bear in thought, "What Kingdom you said you came from again?"

"The Sorcerer Kingdom, our capital city is nestled in between the borders of the Baharuth Empire, the Great Forest of Tob, the Slane Theocracy and the Re-Estize Kingdom," Magos Vestigo removed his mask and it showed a pale face untouched by the sun for decades, "We wish to speak to your Ruling Council or Elders as we can certainly help you with anything you may require."

"Well, that is for the Council to decide-" he turned to two sentries and called to them, "Kharn, Eitri, escort them through the bridge and take them to the Council. This is out of our hands now."

The 2 dwarven soldiers marched up to them and led them through the inner gate, marching up and across to the bridge spanning the great chasm, they reached the other side and were allowed entry immediately into the gates. Once inside of the main city, they quickly headed towards the largest building in the city. This was the seat of power on the last stronghold of the dwarven realm, its aesthetics closely followed the pattern of the block buildings of the Kingdom of Men as this city was initially planned to be the main trading point for those that wished to open commerce with the dwarves. But with the numerous misfortune that they have endured, with the loss of their Capital, another city decimated, the extinction of the Royal Family and the abandonment of another city, their glory days are far from them. Still, they held on to this last bastion of the Dwarven folk.

"Only you and the Magos are allowed to go in," Eitri pointed with his warhammer, "The rest of your men can stay at the tavern, they accept any currency as long as the metal has value."

"We understand," Vestigo turned to one of the Legionnaires and said, "EL 25, at ease."

The Skitarii banged on his breastplate and turned back to his comrades to relay the message, the 2 dwarven soldiers then turned back to Gondo and Vestigo and motioned for them to follow. They walked up the stairs and were led inside, the stone halls were made fairly well and they were maintained as much as they can. The Magos could see that the whole place was decorated with dwarven imagery, trinkets and walls are sculpted with stone murals depicting great scenes and pieces of history. They walked quickly and were brought in front of 8 aging dwarves, each one representing a vital part of dwarven society, luckily they were currently convened due to the disturbance recently made by the Quagoa.

"What is this now?"

"My Lords," it was Kharn, a bald yet heavily bearded dwarf who spoke as he removed his helm, "They claim they are from the Sorcerer Kingdom, a Kingdom that is currently in-between the borders of the Baharuth Empire, Re-Estize Kingdom and the Forest of Tob. They are also the reason for the recent activities with the Quagoa, the garrison commander sends his regards."

With that, both soldiers bowed and marched out, leaving Gondo and the Magos with him in the care of the Regency Council.

"Who did you say you represent again?"

The Magos stood up straight and declared, "I am Magos Vestigo M4314 and I represent the Expeditionary Forces of the Sorcerer Kingdom."

"Why have you come to our realm Magos?"

"We came here for this," he drew his runesword and it glowed with an inner light as all 8 members of the Regency Council gasped in surprise, "We wish to establish commerce and trade with you, iron, stone, precious metals and jewels. And of course, the wonders and ways of runesmithing."

Magos Vestigo gave his sword to the nearest Council member and they all passed it around, touching and inspecting, testing the weight and the heft of the blade, its balance and runes, its feel on the hand, and more importantly any kind of identifier who made of such a blade. They found none as the Forgemaster turned the blade in his hand once more, he slid back his seat and carried the blade with him, he stood in front of a breastplate hanging on a wall. He raised the sword and brought it down swiftly at the armor, the downward motion of the swing electrified the blade and struck the armor. As the blade contacted the armor, the metal on the breastplate warped and tore apart like shredded leather.

The Council gasped as they saw the power of the weapon in front of them, that armor was made of mithril, forged by the Forgemaster himself. They watched him as he walked back to the Magos, presented him with his blade and returned to his seat.

"We deny your wish."

"May we know why?" the Magos almost blew a fuse at that, failure to the Supreme Beings is not an option. He may need to send a request for an occupation force on the dwarven realm.

"Simple, we dwarves believe in trading of equal value. As I can see, your runesmithing is superior to ours," it was the Forgemaster who spoke, "Additionally, the metal on your sword is unlike something I have seen before. Even after the lightning spell coursed through the whole blade, it still felt cold to the touch and did not affect the blade in anyway. We do not have anything of equal measure to trade."

"I see, my superiors wishes to speak with you further," the Magos beseech them, "Would you allow it?"

The members of the Council's eyes met and nods knowingly in agreement.

"Very well."

The Magos then took out a small metal rectangular box. He sets it on the ground and a flash of light later, a towering giant in yellowish plate armor appeared in front of them. They were stunned, being dwarves and highly suspicious, they were surprised when a being in such a flashy armor appeared in front of them. The figure raised his hand in pacification and clearly said.

 _"Please do not be alarmed, I am General Baraqiel, of the 7th Legion of the Sorcerer Kingdom's army. I assure you of our peaceful intentions.~"_

Such power emanated from one being and such a benevolent voice came from it that the Regency Council's alarm quickly vanished. They found that they are at least willing to listen to such a man.

 _"Lords of the Dwarves, I beseech you. My Lord Master wishes to have the knowledge of your runesmithing so that it may continue to flourish and not be forgotten~"_

"As I have said, we do not have anything of equal measure-"

 _"-the skills of your artisans and craftsman are worth more to my Masters. Forgotten knowledge is what is first and foremost on their mind, perhaps there is something that you need that we can assist you with~?"_

Baraqiel looked around the hall and said, _"If you would like, we would provide you military aid. We will root out the Quagoa until your old cities of Feo Raizo and Feo Berkana is in your hands once more~"_

 _"As such you would need extra hands to mine minerals, precious stones and metals. Our Lords can give you on loan undead miners that can tirelessly work day and night. That is if you wish it~"_

The Forgemaster looked at the Army Commander and nods his head. He then turned to Baraqiel and said, "We will need a day to deliberate on this, please rest for a while and stay in the city. We will need to discuss this further between ourselves and we would not wish to inconvenience you with our talks."

 _"I thank you then for your time~,"_ Baraqiel turned around with a slight bow on his head, _"We shall return tomorrow~."_

 _._

The guests left the Council room with their dwarf guide, as soon as the doors closed shut. The Army Commander blurted out, "Such words from a soldier, do you think they would honor what they said."

"Do you think they have the capacity to launch an attack of such magnitude?"

All of the members of the Regency Council thought and planned for such an undertaking before, but with such a small frontier city and no hope of expansion except on the outside of the mountain then it would be such a futile undertaking. Not only would it take more than ten thousand men to liberate Feo Raizo, most of their estimates does not even consider the presence of the Frost Dragons on the old Capital. I suppose they could drive the Quagoa out of Feo Raizo, but in Feo Berkana, then it would next to impossible.

"If we would ally with them, can you tell me for how long will we rely on the Sorcerer Kingdom on their military strength?"

The Commander in Chief of the Army shrugged his shoulders, "Our current population according to the census is around a 100,000 citizens. Our current city is only half the size of Feo Teiwaz and only a quarter of the size of Feo Raizo, not to mention a pin drop compared to the size of Feo Berkana. If we can rely on the Sorcerer Kingdom and their military, then perhaps within a decade or 2, we can be more than self-sufficient and respectfully ask them to vacate our cities."

"Will they honor that though?"

"We can only tell with the passing of time," the Master of the Caves and Mines, "Though with the liberation of Feo Raizo, we can obtain more ores since it was initially planned as a mining city. With undead or automatons working non-stop, day and night, unless the vein is a dud then our revenues would be enormous."

"And what would they like in exchange?" it was the Cabinet Secretary who asked, "They wanted a portion of the ore and all the rune smiths that we have?"

The Forgemaster nods his head, "They wanted the rune smiths and all I can say is to hell with that. How can we give away our heritage? A piece of our people? We are dwarves and anything born out of the earth and molded by the forge was passed down to us by our ancestors. We cannot simply accept all of what they offer so easily."

"How can you say that?" the Commander in Chief shook his head, "Our civilization tethers on the brink of existence, do you think the Dwarven Army can defend this last city of our people? Well, let me say it now, a force of 10,000 cannot defend this nor even offer any offensive against the Quagoa who numbers at close to 100 thousand strong-"

"Are you saying we are weak?"

"No!" the Commander countered, "I am saying the truth, it may hurt since there is no lie to cover it, but the truth of the matter is that we do not have the number to effectively defend our race. With the assistance they are offering, we can make changes that would definitely be to our advantage."

The Cabinet Secretary jots down on a piece of scroll, "For one thing, we can ask them to return the Runesmiths after learning as much as they can at the Sorcerer Kingdom's territory. Also, we can lessen the revenue that we can give them from the mining operation to as low as 10% of the Net, we can also stipulate certain control to the army that they would allow us to borrow in the time being."

"Those seemed pretty stiff conditions," the Commander shrugged his shoulders, "Would they agree to those?"

"We will know tomorrow," the Forgemaster looked up to the ceiling and sighed deeply. The weapon of the Magos weighing heavily on his mind, such fine features of the weapon. What manner of technique did they use to produce such a fine blade. The rune works was one thing, but the forgework was something else he didn't thought possible. For a blade to not be affected and was able to resist the heat transfer from the lightning spell that coursed through it is a lost work belonging to the work of the Gods.

"Share me your thoughts Forgemaster," it was the Commander of the Army, "Still thinking about the Magos and his weapon?"

"Indeed, we need all the help we can get," he sighed once more as the other Council members looked at him, "For them to approach us at our most vulnerable time, don't any of you think that it is too convenient?"

It was the Merchant master who replied, "What do you mean? That there are forces greater than us that are orchestrating our demise? Have you even looked around? Our trade with the Empire has almost dried up, we have no surplus, word outside is that there are no dwarven cities anymore. In the eyes of the neighboring kingdoms we are extinct, so how can you tell me than that you lot are still seriously considering in dismissing the Sorcerer Kingdom's help? We would all be foolish to even think it!"

"I am one with the Merchant Master," the Head of the Food Production also stood up, "Our farmlands are very small, it needs to rest to be able to support more crops. As you know, our crops grow leaner and lesser every year, we cannot use at least 18% of it due to it being dried up and turning into sand. We need their help to further expand our territory and secure more of our former farmlands."

"Can you explain further? Our farmlands are turning to sand?" it was the Commander of the Army, "How can it be so?"

The Head of the Food Production cleared his throat and explained, "Fertile land is compact, dark in color, full of moisture, nutrients, and natural chemicals that help plants grow. However, continued use of this land drains all these things from the soil. If it is ignored, the soil becomes too loose and dry, such dry soil cannot be tilled and watered as this will only result in erosion and thus it turns to dust and sand. The only process that mitigates this is by land rotation, by using farm land for 3 years straight and then letting it rest for a year then we can give the soil a chance to rest and replenish the things it gave to the plants to grow. Like us beings of this world, the earth can only give as much. It must rest, but it cannot rest because there are no alternative to the farmlands we currently have."

The Brewmaster also stood up, "I agree with you, the hops and underground barley we have harvested is at an all-time low. Due to this, I cannot assure you that we can sustain beer production in excess of 10 years."

"Very well, since we are not united in this decision then let us put it into vote then," thr Army Commander pointed out, "Shall we accept the help provided by the Sorcerer Kingdom? Those in favor?"

7 hands came up, unsurprisingly it was the Forgemaster who did not agree.

"Forgemaster, what is this?" it was the Merchant Master who looked at him crossly, "Should we explain it further to you our current situation."

"I understand our predicament, but there must be another way than surrendering our men."

"What if they leave on their own volition? Will we prevent them?"

"Then let us say to the Sorcerer Kingdom that they can only bring those runesmith that wishes to come," the Cabinet Secretary said, "Additionally, we would be given a certain control of the garrison that they would be sending. Also, we will give them 10% of the ore deposits mined in exchange for the undead workers up to a maximum of 45%-"

"40!"

"-35!"

"-30!"

"-25% then!" the Secretary quickly writes down the figures on a piece of scroll and drips a dollop of wax on it, he pressed his signet ring on the wax and it hardened with his official insignia embossed on it.

The scroll made the rounds and each Council member signed their names on it, until once more it lingered on the hands of the Forgemaster.

The Army Commander then looked at him with one of his eyebrows raised, "Well?"

"I am still not convinced-"

"-think of the future, after 10 years we should be on our feet then," the Commander assured him, "We won't be here forever, but our children might suffer due to our indecision-"

"-or due to our rash decision," the Forgemaster sighed deeply and finally signed his name, "Remember what you said, our army must bear witness to their deeds."

The Army Commander grinned, "Did you think I'm just going to sit here and twiddle my thumbs, I'll be going too you know."

.

 _The next day_

.

Baraqiel sat across the Regency Council as they read off their terms of the 'mutual trade agreement' in the words of Lord Ainz himself. Transmitting the details to E-Rantel and to the Stellarum Nex. The Council was impressed that such machineries was now possible to transmit images and sound through great distances, but it also revealed the fearsome truth about the Sorcerer Kingdom.

The Dwarf Lords could not believe it at first, that the leader of the Sorcerer Kingdom is an undead lich that is sympathetic to life and shares power with an Angel of equal power. But seeing their living servants convinced them otherwise, and so they were assured at least that the agreement would be fulfilled to the letter. The Cabinet Secretary finished the declaration and seated himself soon thereafter.

It was the Army Commander who stood now and asked, "We have stated our terms, do you agree to these terms?"

From E-Rantel, an almost imperceptible nod came from the Undead Overlord and the deep voice of the King came through, "I will send my undead legion to safeguard your reconquered cities and then undead workers once it is all clear. Sammael?"

The Angel's majestic form also nods slightly and said in the same sonorous voice, "I am allowing the 7th Legion to reclaim your realm. I name General Baraqiel as overall commander of the Legion. And should he ask, the 3rd Legion would answer as support."

Baraqiel bowed to the images of the 2 Lords as they faded out of existence.

"So, General Baraqiel," the Army Commander stood up and walked up to him and offered his hand to shake, "I would have shook your Majesties hand, but you as proxy would suffice to seal the deal."

Both hands grasped each other and shook once. They both let go and the Cabinet Secretary and the Brewmaster began doling out beer, "By the way, when will the reclamation start? I may need time to mobilize my own army."

"Oh? We were under the impression that we would undertake this mission alone," Baraqiel took a sip of his beer and tried not to wince. How can Lord Sammael and Ainz drink this bitter concoction anyway? "Regardless, we would begin our conquest by midday."

The Dwarven Commander almost dropped histankard of beer, "So fast!"

"Time is always of the essence-"

The sound of a horn blow made them all walk over to the terrace, from above they could see the plaza where the rest of the expeditionary force that brought them Magos Vestigo to their doorstep. They were formed 6 abreast with the Magos in the middle, 2 portals opened in between them as figures began marching out of the void.

"What are those?"

"Please do not be alarmed," Baraqiel assured them, "It is only a part of the legion of the Sorcerer King, a pin drop of soldiers to protect your about to be liberated city of Feo Raizo."

Out of one of the portals came large hulking figures, great horned helms, spiked plate armor, broad tower shields, curved long swords, tattered capes and red orbs of the undead for eyes. Death Knights marched out of the abyss, there were no fanfare or music from the marching army to announce their coming, they towered over the dwarves and those nearest could feel their teeth chattering from the sudden cold. They kept in perfect line as they numbered a total of 500, marching past outside and manning the perimeter walls. The flag of Ainz Ooal Gown, of the Sorcerer King flew from two flag staff held by a pair of Death Knights.

The Army Commander kept silent as the army marched out, for he knew that 1 Death Knight could potentially destroy a small city on its own or kill a mithril adventurer group without even trying. There were reports about the Baharuth Empire once fighting off a Death Knight that spawned on the Katze Plains, it was mentioned in the report that after almost wiping out 3 battalions of knights the Tri-Arts Magic Caster Fluder Paradyne managed to subdue it by raining down fireballs upon it. It was said that with one wide swing it can slice three men in half and in full plate armor no less.

Fearsome indeed.

The second portal then swirled and expanded more as the first one blinked out of existence, the 7th Legion then began marching out into the dwarven plaza. Men in crimson robes and dark green cuirass armor, the personal Legion of General Baraqiel, they marched out of the darkness of the [ **Gate** ] spell in perfect parade form as the citizens of the last dwarven city looked on. The Legion that marched was armed with an assortment of weapons, shields and swords, shields and spears, long bows, and their magical cylinder weapon that shoots out fire lances that kill their enemies with one shot. The rest of the Regency Council also lined the veranda as they watched the military parade marching past them, they could see all of the weapons were of high-quality or magically enchanted, there was nothing that looked common upon them, the Forgemaster's eyes wanted to take a closer look, but kept himself in check.

They were still admiring the passing army when there was a sudden gap on the formation and out stepped the special troops of the Legion, they carried long swords on their waist, multiple cylindrical weapons under their arms, their cloaks were a shimmering 7 color combination and their armor was a complete plate set under a dark green hood. Fearsome is an understatement.

"What are they General Baraqiel?"

He turned to the Dwarven Army Commander and grinned, "They are members of the 1st Company, the Effrita Infiltrators, the deadliest of my soldiers. I usually use them to sow discord and confusion in the back lines, gather intel, destabilize strong points or obliterate them completely."

Suddenly, the General spreads his wings to the surprise of the Council and said, "I bid you farewell for now, we would be pushing against the enemy horde within the day and I must take command."

"Wait!" the Army Commander finally recovered from being stupefied, it was one thing that they knew that their city of Feo Raizo would be reclaimed today and a legion of Death Knights would ensure the safety of their city. But it was a whole different thing for them to see a whole legion of soldiers march out of their main plaza and into the darkness of the caverns, "Are you serious in attacking right now? Without so much as a plan General?"

"Commander, I am the General of this legion. I was _MADE_ for this purpose," the Angel swooped down to his forming army leaving the gathered Regency Council, just in time as a line of Effrita Infiltrators with stylized hussar wings on their shoulders stepped out of the portal and stopped marching to welcome his approach. His armored boots thudded to the ground as the two commanding officers bowed down to their overall commander.

"My Lord General," the Infiltrator banged his chest plate, "Captain Ingo Pech at your service and Captain Mathias Herzog."

The General walked beside the Captain and began discussing battle plans, "What is our current load out Captain?"

"The First Company is prepared to do deep infiltration to pinpoint enemy locations and strong points, including their weak points as dictated by our battle doctrine."

"Their supply lines? Their home base? Dwellings?"

"Indeed all of them sir, the other Companies also report readiness," the 2nd Captain that welcomed him walked on his other side, "We are having uncertainties on our armored division though, since we would be deploying underground the Magos of the Armament has advised against using tracked vehicles and instead rely on walkers."

General Baraqiel nods his head, "The Magos of Armament is correct, the tight tunnels are sometimes connected with small corridors made of reinforced stone, we would lose speed if we enlarge it as we advance, it will take time, material, security and as already mentioned, the loss of our speed where we can thrust our spearhead."

The 2nd Captain nods his head in acknowledgement, "It is as you say, as such there are no limits on the requisition of heavy weapons. Heavy Bolters, Autocannons, rocket launchers and Lascannons to say the least of our handheld artillery."

"Very good, we have a week to secure the whole mountain," Baraqiel took out his weapon, the Scepter of Ten Thousand Moons and it changed into a magic glaive, "We will show these savages the might of our armies and of the Supreme Beings."

As they joined their marching column, the Regency Council still did not move from the veranda where they observed the gathered throng below them. It was the Army Commander who puts a hand on the shoulder of the Forgemaster and said, "Our future is marching now ahead of us. Still think it is a bad idea?"

"Not yet."

He gave a small laugh then drained the rest of his beer, he began to walk away when the Cabinet Secretary called out to him, "Where are you going?"

"I will not let our allies fight alone, I will go with them," he tightened his belt and took a metal shield and his warhammer, "As an adviser at least, I can give them our passageways and secret tunnels which would indubitably make their assault easier."

"You're wasting your time," it was the Forgemaster, he didn't turn and kept his gaze only at the marching army.

"It's better than gnashing my teeth and waiting in here-" he stopped as he heard rhythmic drums, horns and the sound of men singing. Mystified, he approached the veranda again and saw that the Alpha Legion was singing a war song.

 _'Vstavay, strana ogromnaya,'  
_ _'Vstavay na smertny boy,'  
_ _'S fashistskoy siloy tyomnoyu,'  
_ _'S proklyatoyu ordoy,'_

"Is that the language of the Sorcerer Kingdom?"

The song uplifted those who heard it and emboldened them. The dwarves felt such strong patriotism and drive to fight well deep within their hearts. Every deep singing voice they heard, even though they could not understand the words, transcended as the music spoke to them. Urging them as a race, as a people to rise up and do everything in their power to take back what is theirs, to give their dying breathe for this one chance, just one chance to take back everything they have lost.

For themselves, their ancestor's memories, their families, their children's faces, their future.

 _'Pust' yaros' blagorodnya,'  
_ _'Vskipayet, kak volna!'  
_ _'Idyot voyna narodnaya,'  
_ _'Svyashchennaya voyna,"_

The Army Commander looked on in amazement as those dwarves that heard the singing soldiers unconsciously picked up their sword, axes, and hammers. Even the Forgemaster, who was quite doubtful at first, couldn't believe the sweeping patriotism on his countrymen. Their people followed the marching army up to the gates of the city until the presence of the Death Knights barred their way. They could not believe it, for this army to leave such an effect on their psyche, it was truly mind-boggling.

 _'Dadim otpor dushitelyam,'  
_ _'Vsekh plammenykh idey,'  
_ _'Nasil'nikam, grabitelyam,'  
_ _'Muchitelyam Iyudey.'_

 _'Pust' yaros' blagorodnya,'  
_ _'Vskipayet, kak volna!'  
_ _'Idyot voyna narodnaya,'  
_ _'Svyashchennaya voyna,"_

And so the Alpha Legion marches to war.

.

.

 **To be continued... preview for next Chapter.**

.

Cardinal Dominic looked out of his office veranda and sighed, the meeting with the fallen Captain shook him to the core. Never had he felt such vivid illusions, the heat of the fire as the Holy City of the Theocracy burned, he felt the shock wave coming from their weapons, the sound of his people being slaughtered left and right. The phantom sound of misery, suffering and defeat is both deafening and terrifying. He looked back at his empty office and then at his formerly neat desk, this revelation has affected his capacity to work, though he had hidden his feelings behind a veneer of exhaustion and old age weariness, it is of a different weariness now that he bears.

 _'How can one escape such an obvious prison?'_ he had given his word at that time since it meant survival, for he felt the bloodlust coming from the diminutive maid. Such hatred and negative feelings from such a diminutive person. Can one person actually feel those emotions? Not even demi-humans they dealt with before was capable of such feelings it was culpable during that already tense time. He cannot vent these emotions to someone for fear of reprisal, he cannot write it down for fear of being discovered, nor can he speak it out loud for fear of being discovered by the beings he now knows to be watching him tirelessly.

It was quite unfortunate though for his old secretary.

How can he forget such a grisly scene? It was during the times he forced himself to work beyond his hours to numb the feeling of dread and anxiety that began to plague him ever since. The decision to betray one's country is not an easy thing, but harboring secrets that he has is simply beyond treason. And so, he try to find solace in his old journal. He was writing down all the things he had experienced within the house of Nigun and clearly stated that heresy runs rampant within. Tired and weary beyond measure, he carelessly took a short nap on his study chair and left his journal open on his desk. When he opened his eyes again there was such a terrifying sight in front of him that it robbed him of all manner of speech. His assistant stood in front of him, his body shaking from head to foot, his journal gripped in one hand, he bleeding all over as the top layer of his skin was cleanly eaten away. A black shadowy creature was writhing all around his assistant's body, making him stand straight amidst all the pain he felt, his cries of suffering and wordless pleads muffled by the power of the creature. Even he, a Cardinal could not digest what his eyes are seeing in front of him, the eyes of his assistant shook and convulsed, tears streaming uncontrollably as blood gushed forth from his mouth.

He watched as the creature consumed his assistant, skin, fat, muscle, tendons, joints, ligaments, and finally the inner offal. All the while the scream was frozen on his throat, the dread making him unable to move nor look away. As his assistant's eyes was finally consumed and he could finally tear his eyes away, he rushed to the veranda and emptied his bowels, retching and hacking uncontrollably, his body going into shock at the most gruesome spectacle he had seen all his life. After almost a minute of emptying himself, he turned back to the room with dread and found no trace of his assistant, nor the dark creature. But a soft whisper made his hairs stood on end and once more be terrified beyond all reason for the 3rd time in his life.

 _"This is your last warning, carelessness is not tolerated, especially among you who have not proven themselves worthy. Next time Cardinal, I'll know the taste of old man-flesh!"_

Cardinal Dominic returned to the present and looked up the ceiling, he then took a quill and paper and began composing a letter. He was sweeping his office for any movement and found none, he finished the letter and folded it neatly. Sealing it within an envelope he laid the letter on the desk and said to no one in particular.

"Please take this to Nigun," he paused and took an audible gulp, "I wish to speak with him regarding you-know-what."

He waited in silence as no movement came from any direction, then as he was about to stand up he noticed his shadow did not move. Curiously, before his very eyes it solidified and took hold of the letter, it was then engulfed in shadow as the creature then slipped back into the dark corners of the room and his shadow was his own again.

Dominic sighed in relief, but he remembered one thing, "Wait! Out of curiosity, how many are you here?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, everywhere his office that there was a dark corner, underneath his books, under tables, above the fireplace, even the shadows cast by the low light vibrated and shook violently. Suddenly, eyes looked back at him everywhere there is darkness and fear gripped the old Cardinal once more. Voices in the hundreds vibrated through the walls as he got his answer.

 _ **"We are LEGIONNN!"**_

.

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(A/N: And... here I GO AGAIN!)

Chapter 4 has been re-written.

The song is titled 'The Sacred War' by the Red Army Choir.

 _'Vstavay, strana ogromnaya,'_ _-_ Arise, great country,  
 _'Vstavay na smertny boy,'_ _-_ Get up to fight to the death  
 _'_ _S fashistskoy siloy tyomnoyu,'_ _-_ With the dark fascist force,  
 _'_ _S proklyatoyu ordoy,_ _' -_ With a cursed horde.

 _'Pust' yaros' blagorodnya,' -_ Let our noble wrath  
 _'Vskipayet, kak volna!' -_ Boil, as a wave -  
 _'Idyot voyna narodnaya,' -_ The national war,  
 _'Svyashchennaya voyna,' - The_ Sacred War!

Credit to where it is due: Random-Fan-2017 for his idea about Clementine, to be honest I toyed with the idea of the Black Scripture working with her, but it was too complicated since it would dampen one of the story line I was planning for the Theocracy. Additionally, Clementine is already cybernetically enhanced and is based on the Callidus assassins of the Imperium of Man in WH40K, hence her callsign of 'Callidus-chan'.

To be honest, I really hated the Novel for killing off the Furt children. Though I understand that the authors are going for realism, but death of others I could take. Like the death of the Queen of the Holy Kingdom, basically, becoming a bludgeoning weapon for a demon. Even the death of Ninya by Clementine to a certain degree. But please, no children... Gott en himmel!

Cheers,

Scarabeye3000


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